Picking Your Family
by Calistate
Summary: AU. The Blake siblings end up moving to Southern California after their mother dies. Marcus Kane becomes their guardian. Octavia and Clarke are forced towards each other initially but end up becoming attached to the hip. Different trials bring the families together in ways they never planned on. Eventual Bellarke.
1. Part 1 CH 1

**So I know I left this story hanging for basically forever. I really had no idea where to take it at all. Sorry to my readers who were following it, I decided to scrap it. It was kind of a half baked idea. I promise this one is way more baked and I have a clear vision of where it's all going. I hope you guys don't hate me too much and that you like this one just as much or more than the last one.**

* * *

 _PART ONE_

The last year had been a whirlwind for Marcus Kane. In a matter of months he went from a bachelor living comfortably alone to being the guardian of a teenager and a preteen. Two children who knew very little of him, yet he was the one entrusted with their lives. Kids were never apart of his life plan. He was almost engaged once at the young age of twenty, but even then kids were never going to happen.

But here he was trying to get through the LA traffic as quickly as possible to reach the community hospital in his city. He was on autopilot, following the route back home that he drove at least once a week. On a typical day the drive would be his hour or so of silence, but today he cursed the cars in front of him.

A chain of events he never expected to occur led him to this moment. His family moved from the east coast to the west coast when he was thirteen. Next door to Aurora Blake, who quickly became his best friend. She was a year younger than he was yet seemed to understand the world more than he did. The two went through high school together and their first few years of college. He had met a few of her boyfriends, some he was fond of others he wasn't.

At the young age of twenty he was in love with Shari Grant and Aurora remained his best friend. He had an engagement ring in his sock drawer just waiting to be put on Shari's finger. But when Aurora showed up on his front porch in tears Shari wasn't sure how she felt about her boyfriend caring for another girl so much. Then Aurora told him she was pregnant and his instinct was to let her stay with him, Shari left the same day.

Aurora's boyfriend at the time Robert was a couple years older than Marcus and had seemed to be a stand up guy. That is until Aurora had decided she wanted to keep her unborn baby. Robert then informed her that he had never wanted kids and if she did, it wasn't going to work out for them. Marcus found himself sharing his place with his pregnant best friend for the next six months until she got on her feet and made a home for herself.

The two remained friends for the rest of Aurora's life. Marcus had stayed down south and she had moved up north for a fresh start. When Aurora had called Marcus a year ago she hadn't sounded like herself. When he asked her what was wrong she told him her diagnosis. Her body was covered in cancer cells and she needed to know that her kids would be taken care of. He didn't want to agree to be their guardian, he had seen them grow up from afar. But he loved Aurora and knew she had no one else to look after them.

She passed away in the spring and by the end of fall he finally found a new routine in his home. Octavia was quiet for the most part. The ten-year-old kept to herself, but if Bellamy was home she followed him around. She was her brother's shadow and he didn't seem to mind. Bellamy had spent more time with Marcus when he was younger so he was more comfortable with the situation. He had taken to southern California easily and made friends through his high school baseball team. Aurora would spend hours talking to Marcus about Bellamy's baseball team and how he had taken to it like a fish with water. So the first thing he did before the kids came to live with him was figure out where Bellamy could play. He needed some kind of stability in his life and he'd spent his whole life playing the sport.

Marcus was just getting comfortable having the kids with him and now this happened. The traffic would not let up and Marcus replayed the conversation in his head from earlier. His phone is always on silent when in a work meeting, but today he had it on. When it rang he had a gut feeling to answer the call so he excused himself from the room. The voice on the other end was calm as they informed him the kids had been in a car accident. He couldn't remember what he asked or if he had even responded to the person on the other end. Everything was a blur, he told his coworkers that he needed to leave and ended up stuck in this traffic.

The ringing in the passenger seat pulled him from his thoughts. Jake Griffin flashed on the screen of his cell. He had told Jake the kids were in an accident before rushing out of work. Marcus leaned across the seat to grab the phone and answer it.

"Hello," Marcus said, his voice not sounding like his own.

"Kane, are you okay?"

"I'm not sure. This fucking traffic is horrible and I'm not sure how either of the kids are. I don't think I processed anything that was said to me over the phone."

"Hey, it's okay. I have Abby checking on them. She hasn't heard much on Bellamy, just knows that he's in a surgery right now. Octavia is with her right now."

"Is he okay?"

"She's going to find out more information. I asked her to keep Octavia with her until you get there."

"Okay."

"Take a deep breath. It does them no good if you get in an accident on your way there," Jake reminded his friend.

"Okay," Marcus breathed out.

"I'll call you if I hear anything from Abby."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

Marcus hung up the phone and put it in the cup holder. He wasn't sure how he was going to manage to keep his cool on the way to the hospital, but Jake was right, he had to keep it together and pay attention to the road.

The rest of the drive seemed to happen in slow motion. But the minute the doors to the emergency room opened everything started happening at lightening speed. His eyes frantically scanned the room to find the front desk. He was running towards it before his mind even registered where it was.

"How can I help you?" the nurse asked.

"I'm here about Bellamy and Octavia Blake."

"Are you family?"

"I'm their guardian."

"Please have a seat and I'll page the doctor to come talk to you."

He nodded and found an empty chair to sit in. His leg bounced up and down with anxiety as he waited for someone to tell him what was going on. The only other time he could remember being this anxious about another person was when his mom was dying. She had been his whole family, until now.

"Marcus?"

His head snapped up at the sound of his name. Abby was walking towards him with paperwork in her hand. Octavia wasn't with her though.

"Where's Octavia?" Marcus jumped up.

"With a coworker of mine. I was getting information on Bellamy's condition."

"How is he?"

"They said they should be wrapping up his surgery soon. From everything that came in it looks like the kids were in a head on collision. Octavia is pretty banged up and anxious, she won't let anyone check her vitals. I think she needs a few stitches, but no one could calm her down enough to stitch her up so she's bandaged right now. I'd feel better knowing she's got them though."

"She just wants to be with Bellamy," Marcus frowned.

"That's what she said," Abby gave him a sad smile, "Follow me. I'll take you to her and maybe we can get that arm taken care of."

He nodded and followed her through the maze of hallways. His stomach was in knots at the thought of the kids being in such a dangerous situation.

"Bellamy broke three ribs on the left side. One of them punctured his lung causing it to collapse. They said that was an easy fix. What they were more concerned about was the fact that the ribs caused internal bleeding. The blood was putting pressure on his lungs as well as his heart. The surgery is to go in and find the cause of the bleeding to repair it as well relieve the pressure. He's also got some head trauma but nothing serious. The surgery seems to be moving smoothly and he should be in recovery soon enough."

"Okay," Marcus breathed out, still not feeling any calm wash over him. He'd feel better once he saw Bellamy.

"She's over here," Abby turned the corner, "She's still in shock." Marcus made his way to the other desk following close behind Abby.

Octavia sat on a chair next to a nurse, her left hand gripping a spot on her right arm. Her arm was going numb from how tightly she held the bandage. The doctors told her they wanted to numb her up to put stitches in but she refused. She needed Bellamy with her. Her eyes stayed focused on her shoes as the accident replayed in her head. The way metal hitting metal sounded, how her brother yelled her name, and small pieces of glass hitting her skin. Her tongue licked her bottom lip going over the cut that she bit into it the minute the cars collided.

Octavia looked smaller than ever sitting behind the desk, her eyes focused on the floor. Marcus' eyes met Abby's and she nodded at him. He went behind the desk slowly, not wanting to startle Octavia. Octavia didn't register when Marcus stood in front of her instead she stayed in her thoughts.

"Octavia," Marcus crouched in front of the little girl. She looked up at him and let out an audible sound of relief at seeing a face she recognized.

"Where's Bell?" Her voice shook and was barely more than a whisper.

"The doctors are taking care of him right now. He's going to be okay though. Alright?" She nodded. "Let me see your arm."

Octavia let go of her arm and Marcus gently removed the bandage. The cut was still bleeding and he could understand why Abby wanted to put a few stitches in it. It wasn't in dire need of being taken care of but he'd feel better knowing that it was.

"Octavia, can Doctor Griffin take care of your arm?" Marcus watched as she looked over at Abby and then back to him.

"Marcus can come with us," Abby softly smiled at Octavia. Octavia slowly nodded but remained seated in her chair.

"Come here," Marcus held his arms out to her. It was the first time he'd offered to hold Octavia, but he couldn't think of any other way to show her that he was there for her. He was no replacement for her brother. He'd watched the kids intently the last few months and had noticed the older Blake sibling had no problem holding his younger sister when she was in need of extra comfort. Octavia stared into Marcus' eyes for a few moments before reaching her arms out and wrapping them around his neck.

"All ready?" Abby grinned at him.

"We're all ready," he smiled back and stood up. Octavia comfortably resting her chin on his shoulder.

* * *

The day slowly turned to night and Marcus followed a nurse towards a room, Octavia still in his arms. Her small body was still full of tension and Marcus wasn't sure what other steps he could take to calm her down.

"His vitals are good and he surgery was successful. He's going to be a bit sore for a while especially since those ribs are going to take some time to heal. He's pretty banged up, but he's okay," the nurse said before she opened the door.

Marcus stepped inside the room and Octavia spun her head around to see the bed as fast as she could. The minute she saw Bellamy, Marcus could feel all of the weight she'd been carrying lift from her. He walked towards the boy and looked him over. There were bandages on his arms, his lip was fat, his cheek was bruised and he looked ten times worse than his sister.

"Bell?" Octavia whispered.

"He's just sleeping from the surgery. They gave him strong medicine and it'll be a little bit before he wakes up," the nurse reassured her and Octavia nodded. "There's a chair in the corner if you want to try to get a bit of sleep."

"Thank you," Marcus said as the nurse left the room. He moved the chair closer to the bed and sat down in it, leaning back as much as possible with the ten-year-old on top of him. She kept her eyes focused on her brother as she let out a yawn. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

For the first time since he received the call earlier today he finally felt at ease, both the kids asleep in the same room. He had never wanted kids yet these two had changed him in a matter of months. They weren't his but for the first time since they had moved in they were beginning to feel like they were.

* * *

Bellamy's head was pounding when he started to wake up. He raised his hand to his head putting pressure on his temple. His eyes fluttered as he tried to open them. Everything seemed to be in a fog as he tried to recall where he was. When he tried to turn his body pain shot through his side.

"Fuck," he mumbled as he tried to get comfortable. Every move had to be slow and calculated. Breathing was painful so he tried to keep his breaths shallow.

He eyes finally began to focus on his surroundings, the plain white walls, an IV in his hand and soft noises from monitoring devices. He tried to remember what had happened as he rested his forearm over his eyes. A car had hit his and Octavia had been in the front seat next to him.

"Octavia," his eyes shot open and he sat up, unfortunately too quickly. The pain in his side felt like fire and he inhaled a gasp, which only made things worse.

Marcus was woken up by Bellamy looking for Octavia. He quickly looked at the boy and could see him grimacing. "Hey, hey," Marcus stood up, a sleeping Octavia still in his arms, "She's right here."

Bellamy sighed and covered his face with a hand. He didn't remember if something had happened to her or not. Marcus sat on the right side of Bellamy's bed. He gently laid Octavia down next to her brother and she instantly curled into his side.

"She's fine," Marcus reassured Bellamy, "How're you feeling?"

"Like shit."

"Safe to say you look how you feel," Marcus smirked and Bellamy gave him a grin. "What happened?"

"I had Octavia in the front seat next to me. I know it's safer for her in the back seat, but she asked and I let her," he frowned. "The car coming the opposite direction blew a tire. Driver lost control and hit us. It's like I saw everything happen in slow motion. I hit the brakes as hard as I could, but it wasn't enough. So I leaned over to grab her."

"Explains all the broken ribs."

"Broken?" He groaned.

"Sorry kid. Doctor says you broke three. They caused some internal bleeding and one punctured your lung making it collapse. You're gonna have to take it easy for a while."

"What about baseball?"

"You're probably going to miss some preseason training."

"Okay."

"The better you let yourself heal the quicker you'll be back in the batting cages and lifting weights," Marcus gave him a reassuring smile and Bellamy nodded. The two sat in silence for a few minutes as Bellamy looked over Octavia.

"Thanks," Bellamy said softly.

"For what?"

"Being here."

"Bellamy," Marcus put a hand on the boy's shoulder, "There's no reason I wouldn't be here. I took you guys in because I wanted to. Your mom was my oldest friend and I loved her like a sister. And I've always loved you guys too. If given the option to take you guys or let someone else do it, I'd take you both all over again."

"You didn't have to take us."

"I wanted to, Bellamy. I know this isn't an easy situation for you guys and it's going to take a lot to get used to it. But just know I'm not going anywhere. I'm not father material, I know that. That's why I didn't have kids. I'm learning how this all works. We're all figuring this out together."

"You're more father material than either of ours ever were. They don't even know we exist."

"And that's their loss."

"You sure about that?" Bellamy looked up at Marcus.

"Positive. Now try to get some sleep." Marcus got off the bed and went back to the chair. Bellamy slowly moved in his bed so he wouldn't wake his sister. The three didn't take long to all fall asleep.


	2. CH 2

"I'm just worried that she's having trouble making friends. She's so quiet all the time." Marcus confided in his friend.

"She lost the only parent she ever had. She's still figuring out how to cope with everything. She moved down here. Left her school and friends. She has no stability anymore. Bellamy is the only familiar thing to her," Jake reassured him, "She's going to get comfortable with everything on her own time."

"Bellamy is adjusting so quickly it makes worry about her. He's made a few friends and has even had them over on a couple occasions. But Octavia, I don't know if she even has a single friend at school."

"How is Bellamy doing?"

"Better each day. He's sick of not being allowed to do anything but Abby assured me his ribs are healing well. He is bored out of him mind though. It's starting to drive me insane."

"Let him go out and do things," Jake grinned.

"I have been. But he just wants to play baseball already. The kid lives for it and he's not allowed to do it yet."

"How old is Octavia again?"

"Ten."

"Same age as Clarke."

Marcus nodded at his friend. Trying to figure out where he was going with this. Jake grabbed his phone and began looking something up.

"Abby is thinking about signing Clarke up for a softball league around home. They have a winter league and Clarke has mentioned it before. She doesn't know anyone else that's going to be playing. So Abby asked me if I'd volunteer to coach whatever team she ends up on."

"You're going to coach a girls softball team?" Marcus chuckled.

"I know. Makes absolutely no sense. I think Abby is just trying to get me out of the house so she can have time for herself every once in a while. But it's looking like it's going to happen. Clarke keeps asking about it. You could sign up Octavia."

"I don't know if she'd want to play."

"I think I know of a way that will make her want to play."

"How?" Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"I like watching baseball. Doesn't mean I know a damn thing about coaching it. It's a pretty short league; it'll only go into a couple weeks of Bellamy's spring training. He can do most of the coaching for all I care. It'll give him something to do."

"It's not baseball, but it's close enough and he won't be the one playing," Marcus smiled at his friend. "This could be the solution. Bellamy gets to coach it and Octavia will play it if he's coaching her."

"And she'll make some of her own friends. Plus Clarke is an easy going kid, I'm sure she'll take to Octavia."

"I'll talk to the kids tonight and let you know what they say."

* * *

Bellamy lay on the couch flipping through the channels on cable. Octavia sat on the floor in front of him, her homework all over the coffee table. She never complained about doing her homework and even enjoyed some of it. She hummed to herself as she read about Greek mythology, looking for the answers to her sheet of questions.

"You know, I could just give you the answers," Bellamy looked over at his sister.

"That's cheating," she rolled her eyes at him.

"How is it cheating? I'm not in your class."

"It's cheating cause I need to find the answers myself."

"Suit yourself," he shrugged.

He wasn't sure how many times he went through every channel, but it was safe to say there was nothing on. His mind drifted to the last few months and how they had played out. Bellamy felt like he had adjusted to his new life fairly quickly. The sun was warmer down here and he didn't mind that there was no snow to deal with. Part of him missed his home up in the mountains. It was quiet and the town he grew up in was small, everyone knew everyone. Here he was in an actual city with more people than he could count.

The school he spent all of his years at had very few students. All of the kids knew each other regardless if they were in the same grade or not. The public school he was currently attending had more students in his class alone than the amount of students attending his old high school. At first it was nerve wracking going from such a small homey place to a city. But he found he liked the city life better. The fast pace of everything suited him better.

It hadn't taken long for him to make a few friends on the baseball team. Nate Miller was the catcher on the team and friendly to a fault. John Murphy was a smartass outfielder that always had something to say or an idea that would result in someone getting in trouble. The other boys on the team all got along with each other and hung out with each other during the season as well as during the off season.

Bellamy hadn't been able to secure his position as shortstop because of the accident, but was itching to get out on the field. The team hadn't started their off season training yet and Bellamy was hoping he'd make a full recovery before they did. He was already the new kid so he needed to prove himself and quickly. There was no way he was going to get stuck as not being a starter, or worse ending up having to play for the JV team. There were more guys trying out for baseball at this school. Kids were actually cut from the team and for once Bellamy would have to prove he was a valuable player. It made him anxious but more excited than anything because for once he had some competition.

He looked over at his sister; she had become more quiet than usual since their mom told them she was dying. Octavia hadn't been able to accept it until it had happened. Even though she was always fairly quiet to begin with Bellamy knew there was a rebellious kid in their somewhere. The girl was feisty growing up and somewhere through the years she lost that spark. He was worried she'd never find it again especially with how reserved she had become. She needed to find a friend that brought her out of her shell, but at the rate she was going it wasn't going to happen. Octavia kept too much to herself and the busy city was harder for her to get used to.

Marcus opened the door and walked into a normal site. Octavia diligently doing her homework at the coffee table while Bellamy watched TV. He had a study hall at school and for the most part got everything finished there.

"Hey," Bellamy said from his spot on the couch.

"How was school?" Marcus dropped his keys in a bowl on the table.

"Eh," the boy shrugged.

"Good," Octavia said without glancing up from her book.

"Eh and good. Sounds like you both had an uneventful day."

"New day, same stuff," Bellamy said.

"I was talking to Jake at work today and he mentioned he needed some help with something. He thought you'd like to help him."

"Me?" Bellamy raised his eyebrow and sat up on the couch. Marcus took the free spot next to him before continuing.

"His daughter is joining a softball team and Jake has been roped into coaching it."

"Abby making him?" Bellamy smirked. Knowing the doctor could get her way fairly easily.

"Exactly what is happening. Jake was saying he wanted someone to help him coach and thought maybe you'd like to. It won't go into your spring training by too much. And the team is for girls Octavia's age." Marcus looked over at Octavia.

"What do you think O? I could be your coach," Bellamy nudged her with his foot.

"I don't know how to play," she looked up at her brother.

"That's what practice is for," Marcus gave her a reassuring smile.

Bellamy had no desire to coach a bunch of preteen girls. It was honestly the last thing he wanted to do. He'd rather sit on the couch and mindlessly look through what was on cable. But he did know that if he coached the team Octavia would play and he had found friends through playing baseball, maybe she'd find some through softball.

"You wouldn't have practice everyday, O. So you can still come home and do boring homework right away," he teased.

"It's not boring. I like learning," she glared at him.

"Neither of you have to do it." Marcus looked between the kids, "So you don't have to say yes. It's just a suggestion."

* * *

The softball suggestion had sparked an interest in Octavia and she began asking her brother questions about baseball. She had spent her whole life watching him play and a part of her always wanted to learn how. When he had practice at the batting cages all she wanted to do was try to hit the ball too.

Part of Bellamy had hoped she didn't want to play. The games were on Saturdays and would cut into his weekends, not to mention he would be spending countless hours with a bunch of little girls. But here he was driving Marcus' truck to the park with an anxious Octavia in the back seat. She had a brand new pair of black cleats on her lap as well as a glove. Marcus had taken her shopping for them earlier in the week while Bellamy was at Miller's.

He pulled into a parking spot and got out. Octavia hopped out of the truck and grabbed her cleats and glove before following her brother out to the field. Bellamy had seen Jake Griffin a handful of times and recognized him standing behind the home plate with a couple of girls around him.

"Come on O," Bellamy led his sister to the field.

"Bellamy," Jake smiled at him when he saw the teenager coming over.

"Hey, Jake,"

"This must be Octavia," Jake looked down at her and she nodded, "Clarke, come here." A young blonde girl walked over and stood next to him. "Clarke this is Octavia and her brother Bellamy. She is going to be on your team and her brother is going to coach you guys."

"I thought you were coaching us," she raised her eyebrows at her father.

"I don't know anything about softball."

"You watch baseball all the time on TV and we go to games."

"Just because I like watching a sport and understand how the game works doesn't mean I can coach something." Jake shoved his daughter lightly.

"You know how to coach softball?" Clarke took a step toward Bellamy and looked up at him, her arms crossed over her chest.

Bellamy looked down at the little girl but before he could answer Octavia stood in front of him and said, "He's a short stop and plays baseball."

"But can he coach?" Clarke's eyes bore into Octavia's. Clarke had been told that her dad was going to be her coach and now someone was taking his position. She wasn't going to let a stranger come in and take over.

"Of course he can," Octavia put her hands on her hips.

"Clarke go introduce Octavia to the rest of the girls," Jake said.

"Okay," Clarke mumbled before taking Octavia over to the others.

"She isn't always that hard headed," Jake looked over at Bellamy.

"For some reason I don't think you're telling the truth. I've met your wife," Bellamy smirked.

"She's her mother's child. So I'm going to apologize in advance because my kid is probably going to try to take control of this team."

Bellamy and Jake spent the rest of the night trying to remember who all of the girls were and figuring out how much they knew about softball. For the most part it seemed like their team was all novices. They'd have to figure out where to put each of the girls and teach them the basics. Before leaving the field Jake suggested having the girls run the bases a few times.

Octavia sat next to Clarke and Raven as she laced up her cleats. Clarke slid her shoes on before standing up and looking over the field. Raven had stayed quiet most of the night but Octavia felt a sense of comfort around her. She still wasn't sure about Clarke, she didn't like the way Clarke watched Bellamy's every move. It was like she was trying to size him up. Octavia had never met someone who didn't trust her brother and she wasn't sure how she was supposed to react to it.

"Guys come over here," Jake waved at the girls, "Line up. One thing I do know about softball is that you have to touch the base in order to be safe. If you miss it, you risk the chance of getting an out. So we're gonna run the bases a few times and you need to make sure you touch every base. Got it?"

"Got it," a few of the girls responded in unison.

"Perfect. Raven you're going to start. Clarke when Raven touches the first base you're going to start running and so on and so forth."

Bellamy stood next to Jake as they watched the kids run from base to base. Some of the girls sprinted from each plate trying to catch up to the person who had started before them. Others lightly jogged from base to base focusing on touching each one. Octavia patiently waited for the girl in front of her to touch the first plate. The minute she did she took off, running as hard as she could. It didn't take long for her to pass up the girl who was ahead of her.

"She's quick," Jake acknowledged.

"She competitive," Bellamy smirked.

"Hopefully that rubs off on a few of the other ones out there."

"I'm just hoping they don't get killed their first game."

* * *

Murphy stood on the brick fence of the backyard trying to find the best spot to see the driveway. Bellamy continued to fill up water balloons with Miller, tossing tied ones into a bucket between them. It was taking him some time to get used to this weather it was fall and still in the high 70s. Miller had showed up with a couple bags of water balloons and Murphy had the bright idea to grab the oversized slingshot from his car. Miller and Bellamy both avoided asking Murphy why he had it in his car. The three found two trees in the yard the perfect distance from each other to set up the slingshot.

"You really think we'll be able to get them over the roof?" Miller looked at Murphy.

"Easily," Murphy gave him a smug look; "We could probably hit a car if we really tried."

"The last thing we need to do is hit a car. I don't feel like being grounded," Bellamy said.

"Then what are we aiming for?"

"My sister," Bellamy's lips pulled up into a shitty grin.

"Now we're talking," Murphy smirked.

Bellamy and Miller stood by the slingshot waiting for Murphy to tell them how far back to pull the strings. A bright red balloon sat in it waiting to soar over the roof. Murphy watched the road keeping a look out for Marcus' white truck.

"Get ready!" Murphy bounced on his toes while he stood on the fence, "He's pulling in the driveway."

"How far back?" Miller bit his bottom lip in anticipation.

"Three fourths of the way back and aim a bit to the right!"

Octavia grabbed her backpack and opened the passenger side door. She wanted to get inside and finish as much homework as possible before she went to practice. Her feet hit the driveway and she shut the door behind her. She took one step towards the house when something hit her in the chest.

"AH!" she screamed as water exploded all over her.

"What the?" Marcus spun around on his heel.

"Perfect contact!" Murphy yelled from the backyard.

"BELLAMY!" Octavia squealed and threw her bag onto the floor.

Before Marcus could say anything she was running towards the back gate. He followed her into the backyard. The boys were laying on the grass laughing. Murphy wiped his eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks. Miller's mouth stayed open, his eyes tightly shut but no noise came out except for him inhaling air between his laughs.

"Hurts," Bellamy held his sides as he tried to stop laughing, each breath he sucked in causing pain in his ribs. Octavia standing in front of him with her hands on her hips only made the situation funnier. Her shirt was soaked and she was shooting daggers out of her eyes at her brother and his friends.

Marcus surveyed his yard quickly noticing the slingshot set up and a bucket of water balloons. He covered his mouth to hide his chuckle, not wanting Octavia to see that he found the situation humorous as well. Marcus had never noticed how monotonous his life had become before the Blakes entered it. They kept him on his toes daily.

"Why?" Marcus gestured towards the boy's set up.

"It just happened," Miller snickered.

Octavia slowly walked over to the bucket of balloons as Marcus talked to the boys. She grabbed two balloons and looked over each one of them deciding who'd receive her wrath. Bellamy was definitely going to be hit by one but who else? Murphy had a way of getting under her skin, Miller usually didn't tease her, but Marcus had laughed once he realized what had happened. Using all her might she chucked a balloon at her brother and right after threw the other one at Marcus.

"O!" Bellamy yelled after the balloon hit him in the face. Before he could get her back he heard another balloon pop.

Marcus felt the water soak through his jeans instantly. He looked over at Octavia; her eyes were full of mischief as she bit her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling. "I'm giving you three seconds to start running," Marcus pointed at her.

"I'm giving you two!" Bellamy sat up. He grabbed a balloon and stared his sister down.

"No!" She laughed before making a move for the back door.

"One!" Bellamy yelled.

"Two!" Marcus grabbed her before she could turn the doorknob. Bellamy threw the balloon at her.

"Help me!" Octavia giggled.

"No one is gonna save you," her brother smirked as he grabbed another balloon. She squirmed as Marcus held her, her feet dangling off of the ground

"I'll save you," Miller grabbed the hose and pointed it at Bellamy before soaking him with water.

Murphy grabbed a few balloons throwing them Miller's way and receiving a face full of water. Marcus put Octavia back on the ground and she bee lined it for more balloons. Laughter filled the yard as balloons soared through the sky and Miller sprayed down everyone. Within a matter of minutes the balloons had all been used and no one was dry.

"Go change hon," Marcus ruffled Octavia's hair, "You've got to go to practice. You too," he pointed at Bellamy.

"Wanna go to practice?" Bellamy turned to his buddies.

"What're they practicing?" Murphy asked.

"Sliding. None of them know how and I've got a feeling that most are going to be afraid of getting hurt."

* * *

"Sliding is an important thing for you all to learn. It can help you get to a base without slowing down, you won't overrun the base and it can help you break up a double play," Bellamy talked to the girls sitting in the dugout.

"There's no reason to be afraid of it," Miller added, "You just want to make sure you do it the right way."

"Or you'll get hurt," Murphy chimed in.

"Thanks Murphy," Bellamy huffed.

Jake stood by as he watched the boys walk the girls through the correct form to slide. He paid extra attention to Clarke. It had taken her a couple of practices for her to be okay with Bellamy being in charge of the team, but now she was respecting him.

Murphy and Miller set up a large piece of cardboard on the grass while Bellamy explained how the girls were going to practice sliding on it. He assured the girls that it was okay to be nervous trying it out and that they should take it slow the first few times. Raven tried it first and did it almost perfectly, she followed directions to a t. Clarke refused to do anything at half speed the first time and went into the slide running as fast as she could. She stood up from the cardboard with a triumphant grin. Octavia did exactly as Clarke did. The two girls brought out the competitive side of each other, but it was becoming a friendly competition.

Once the team got the hang of sliding it was time for them to learn how to dive correctly. Miller and Murphy showed each of them how and walked them through the steps before letting them try it out on the cardboard. The girls seemed to get the hang of it quickly.

"You guys want to try it on the field?" Jake asked.

"We'll play pickle. Murphy is going to be on the first base and I'm going to be on the second. Miller is going to watch you to see if you're safe or not. Murphy and I are going to try to get you out. You'll start on first base and try to make it to second. You don't want either of us to tag you so if you got to go back to first do it. If you can make it to second, even better," Bellamy told the girls.

"And most likely you're going to have to slide to be safe," Miller noted.

Octavia was the first to try the drill. She sprinted towards second the minute Miller told her to go. Bellamy left the base to tag her so she turned on her heel to go back towards Murphy. When she heard the ball hit Murphy's glove she spun back to go towards second.

"Come on Octavia!" Raven yelled.

"Don't let them get you!" Clarke cheered.

Jake stood by the team and grinned like a fool. He didn't want to be in charge of a softball team but he was enjoying the time with his daughter. She was always taking after Abby with everything so it was fun to see her enjoy a sport. It was their time together every week.

"Slide into first!" Raven screamed when she noticed Bellamy still had the ball in his glove. Octavia tucked her one leg under herself and slid into the base. The girls hollered in excitement as Miller yelled, "Safe!"

"Who wants to try next?" Murphy looked over the kids.

"Me," Clarke ran to first base. She planted a foot on it and waited for Miller to give her the queue.

"Go," Miller said and she ran off of the base. Bellamy caught the ball from Murphy and took a step towards Clarke, which made her head back to Murphy. She stayed in the middle of the boys for a few minutes trying to find the best time to take second. There was never a good enough opening so she decided the next time she saw the ball leave Bellamy's hand she was going to dive for the base.

Bellamy threw the ball to Murphy and Clarke turned back towards him. She ran full speed in his direction, not paying attention to what Murphy was doing. Clarke dove for the base, her hands stretched out in front of her. Bellamy's feet got knocked out from under him and he fell back onto the dirt. His back hit the ground with a thud and the girls erupted into laugher.

"I'm sorry," Clarke jumped up, "Are you okay?" She ignored the laughing behind her and went to check on Bellamy's side. Her mom and dad had talked about how Bellamy was in an accident and had broken a few ribs. She instantly started to worry that she aggravated the already broken bones.

"I'm okay," Bellamy took in a sharp breath.

"Are you sure? I didn't mean to knock you over."

"I know," he grinned and sat up, "I'm fine Clarke."

"And that is how it's done," Murphy laughed.

Octavia walked over to the two and offered Clarke her hand. Clarke took it and pulled herself up from the ground. "If I knew we were allowed to take the baseman out I would've tried to get second big brother," Octavia smirked down at him.

"Sure," he pushed himself up from the ground.

Miller switched places with Bellamy for the rest of the girls to do the drill. As Bellamy watched he started to see that his team of girls who had never played before had potential. The girls were hard workers and always ready to practice and they didn't mind getting dirty.

After the girls finished the drill Jake called them all over to hand out their uniforms. He had told the admin that he didn't care what color his team wore. But when he was handed a box of khaki colored uniforms he started to regret the decision. There was no way a bunch of preteen girls were going to want the neutral color for their uniforms.

"We need to pick a team name," Jake said as he started handing out the shirts.

"Brown?" one of the girls moaned.

"It's better than pink," Murphy stated.

"Says you."

"Anyone have any suggestions for names?" Jake continued to hand out shirts. None of the girls answered and some shook their heads.

"Right now you look like a bunch of dirt bags. You're all covered from sliding," Bellamy said.

"Let's be the dirt bags!" Raven beamed.

"Dirtbags?" Jake said to himself, "It has a nice ring to it."

"Who likes the name Dirtbags?" Bellamy asked the team and almost all of their hands shot up, "Alright. Dirtbags it is."

* * *

 **Hope you guys are still with me.**


	3. Ch 3

Abby held back her grin as she watched Clarke with a bat in her hand and a helmet on her head. Her daughter was rarely afraid of anything and jumped head first into everything, but she was afraid of the softball. The pitcher on the opposing team had a fast arm and the ball would hit the catcher's glove with a crisp smack each time. Clarke had gone up to bat twice already this game and barely even swung the bat. She would back up the minute the pitcher let go of the ball. Clarke was on deck and she was clearly not ready to be back up to bat yet.

"You got this," Jake patted his daughter on the shoulder and she nodded. Clarke walked out from the dugout and stood in her place waiting for Raven to finish batting.

"She's terrified," Abby chuckled, her eyes not leaving Clarke.

"And you find it funny," Marcus grinned.

"Clarke is afraid of nothing. Except a fast softball apparently."

"I'm sure it doesn't feel good to be hit by the ball."

"She wouldn't know though. She hasn't ever been hit by one."

"What is he doing?" Marcus said as he watched Bellamy come out of the dugout and head over to Clarke.

Clarke could feel the jittering in her limbs as she watched the pitcher throw another ball to Raven. Raven swung with all her might, making contact but the ball was a foul.

"Hey," Bellamy waved a hand in front of her to get her attention.

"Yeah," Clarke blinked a few times.

"You need to stay in your spot and swing if it's over the plate."

"I know."

"I know you know but you need to actually swing and stop jumping back the minute the ball is pitched."

Bellamy could tell Clarke wasn't paying attention to him. His grabbed her facemask and pulled her over to another section of the fence. Clarke saw her mom in the stands with a smirk. Marcus watched as Bellamy kept ahold of the facemask of Clarke's helmet. He was talking to her, but Marcus couldn't hear what he was saying.

"Stop being afraid of the ball," Bellamy's eyes stayed locked onto Clarke's.

"I'm not afraid," her eyes squinted into a glare.

"Yes you are. It's just a ball. The worst that can happen is you get hit and if you do you get walked onto first base."

"I don't want to get hit."

Bellamy huffed a sigh of annoyance not sure how to get it through her head that it was just a ball. He let go of her facemask and grabbed her helmet. He turned Clarke towards the fence and pushed her head into it. Abby laughed as she watched Bellamy repeatedly shove Clarke's face into the fence, like he was trying to physically get through her stubbornness.

"Stop being afraid of the ball," he said as he pushed her helmet into the fence again. "Hit the ball."

"I'll hit the ball," Clarke laughed.

"Thank you. Now get on deck so you can bat," he smacked the back of her helmet as he went back towards the dugout.

Marcus clapped his hands as Raven hit the ball again and this time getting to first base. Clarke walked up to the plate and got into her stance, standing on the balls of her feet.

"Come on Clarke," Abby leaned forward.

The pitcher threw the first ball and Clarke swung a little too late. She bent her knees slightly and held her bat up readying herself for the next pitch. Again the fastball was in the catcher's glove before Clarke finished her swing.

"You got this Clarke!" Octavia put her hands to her mouth, making sure her friend could hear her.

Clarke breathed out and waited for the third pitch. She watched as the ball headed her way and she started to swing. A shocking pain hit her thigh followed by an instant numbing sensation. She dropped the bat and hopped up and down making sure to take the weight off of her leg.

"Walk!" The umpire shouted and Clarke nodded. She limped her way to the base.

"Oh no," Abby mumbled as she watched.

After a few more of the girls batting Clarke was back in the dugout with her dad examining her leg. The area was already red and swollen. Jake could tell she was going to have a nasty bruise start showing up within a few hours. Bellamy left the dugout and headed to the concession stand to grab some ice. He walked in front of the bleachers shooting Marcus and Abby a grin.

"I told her to hit the ball, not be hit by the ball," Bellamy said to Abby as he passed by.

"Maybe she won't be afraid of it anymore," Abby chuckled.

"Depends how big that bruise ends up being."

He grabbed a bag of ice then headed back to the dugout. Jake put pressure on Clarke's leg and she yelped. Clarke snatched her leg away from her father and shot him a dirty look."No need to be a princess, it can't hurt that bad," Bellamy said as he handed her the ice.

"I'm not a princess," the ten year old glared at him.

"Could've fooled me."

Bellamy walked to the other side of the dugout and watched as the girls took their spots on the field. Octavia volunteered to stay on the bench with Clarke and she sat next to her friend.

"He's so annoying," Clarke mumbled.

"I know," Octavia nodded.

The game finished with a score of 12 to 9 with the Dirtbags taking the win. Octavia followed Bellamy out of the dugout towards Marcus after telling everyone on the other team good game. Clarke and Jake followed behind them, Clarke still holding onto the bag of ice.

"Good job girls," Abby smiled at the two.

"Thanks," Octavia grinned.

"See me get hit?" Clarke looked up at her mom.

"Everyone saw you get hit," Jake shook his head.

"I listen to Bellamy and now my leg is going to be all purple," Clarke huffed.

"You've got yourself quite a princess there," Bellamy nudged Jake.

"Don't I know it," Jake grinned and ruffled her hair.

"Hungry?" Marcus looked down at Octavia as he took her bag from her.

"Starving," Octavia groaned.

"We're going to go to the pizza place down the street. You guys wanna come?" Marcus looked between Jake and Abby.

"Can we please?" Clarke asked her parents.

"We'll meet you there," Abby said, "Let's get all your stuff Clarke."

* * *

Marcus sat across from Jake and Abby while the kids were in the small arcade room. He had given them some money to keep themselves entertained while they waited for the food. Jake poured three beers and handed one to his wife then his friend.

"Clarke really likes Octavia," Abby smiled as she watched the kids.

"They do get along well," Marcus nodded.

"I'm still not sure what her feelings are on Bellamy."

"I think they'll end up friends as they get older. I don't see Octavia ever going off and getting her own circle of friends."

"I think that too. Like they're always going to run in the same circle of friends," Jake added. "And if Clarke is running around with Octavia that means she'll be with Bellamy too."

"Are you serious?" Clarke yelled and the parents turned. "You have to be cheating."

The adults watched as Clarke motioned to the basketball game. The scores were drastically different and Bellamy had clearly beaten her. Bellamy shrugged his shoulders and smirked at her. Octavia grinned as she watched Clarke roll her eyes and put more quarters into the machine, she was going to win this round.

"Maybe they won't end up friends," Marcus chuckled.

"How is everything with you guys," Jake took a swig of his beer as he looked across to his friend.

"Good I think. I feel like I'm doing something wrong all the time. Maybe I give Bellamy too much freedom but then at the same time he doesn't get into much trouble so I don't feel bad giving him the freedom."

"Give him the freedom. He's hasn't done anything to break your trust. So let him be."

"I just don't want him to think he can go do anything."

"He won't. He's not a stupid kid. I've realized that much about him these last few weeks."

It wasn't long before two large pizzas came to the table. The kids made their way back immediately after noticing the food was there. Octavia took a seat next to Marcus and Bellamy sat on the other side of her. Clarke went and sat between her parents. Abby pressed a kiss to her head before handing her a plate with a slice of pizza on it.

Octavia watched as Clarke interacted with her parents. Abby stayed close to her and would absentmindedly run her fingers through her daughter's hair. She was completely involved in a conversation with Bellamy but still acknowledged that her daughter was next to her. Jake and Marcus talked about work and Clarke chimed in before taking another bite of her food. Jake shook his head at Clarke's antics before shoving his daughter softly.

Everything about Clarke's family was like out of a storybook as far as Octavia was concerned. She had a mom who she got along with and did things with her. And her dad was around and enjoyed his family. Octavia could sense the love Jake had for his girls and it made her heart ache as she thought about her own father.

"I'm going to go to Murphy's," Bellamy said as he got up from the table.

"Is he outside to pick you up?" Marcus asked and Bellamy nodded, "Make sure you're home by eleven."

"Will do. Bye guys," Bellamy said to the group before heading out.

* * *

Octavia walked into the house behind Marcus. She went to her room to get a change of clothes before heading into the bathroom. She turned on the water of the shower, making sure it was hot enough before stepping into it. The water ran down her body as she stared at her feet. Her mind was racing as she thought about her life and the things she was missing. Aurora had been the best mom she could've asked for. She went above and beyond for her kids and then she left them.

A lump started to form in Octavia's throat and she swallowed hard trying to break it up. She knew her mother had no choice in the matter of leaving, but she still did. She left them parentless and then sent them down the state to someone she had only ever heard stories about. A stranger on the phone that her mother and Bellamy would talk to.

She sighed and turned off the water, grabbing her towel to dry off. Octavia threw on leggings and a sweatshirt her mother used to wear. She brought the fabric to her nose seeing if the article of clothing still smelled like her. Her eyes welled with tears as she realized the sweatshirt now smelled like the laundry detergent Marcus buys. Octavia blinked back the tears and let out a shaky breath before grabbing a brush and bringing it through her hair. She braided her long brown hair before stepping out of the bathroom and walking down the hallway.

She stopped in front of her bedroom door and looked inside of the room. There were very few things of comfort in the room and she didn't want to step inside of it. Across the hall was Bellamy's room. His clothes were thrown around on the floor and there was some baseball gear falling out of the closet. Part of her wanted to go into his room but she didn't want to at the same time. For the first time in her life she didn't want the comfort of her brother. She wanted her mom and at this point she would even settle for her dad. A complete stranger would be enough for her in this moment. More than anything she needed a parent.

Octavia walked a few more feet down the hall and peeked into Marcus' room. His bed was made and the grey duvet on it looked inviting. She took a step inside and looked around the room. It was simple, a wooden bedframe, a queen sized bed with some pillows on it, a dresser that held a few frames on it and a nightstand on the right side of the bed. She walked slowly past the dresser and looked at the photos in the frames. One of the frames held a picture of Marcus and his mother, the two of them smiling. Another was a picture of his parents. The smallest one made her heart stop. Inside the frame was a photo of her mother giving her signature toothy smile. She was sitting next to Marcus in the photo and his hair was shorter in it. They both looked young and carefree.

She grabbed the frame and went onto the bed. Her finger traced over her mother's features and she could feel the raw hole in her heart begin to throb. A soft whimper escaped from her lips and her bottom lip began to tremble. For the second time her eyes welled with tears but this time they spilled over.

Marcus picked up Bellamy's shoes from their spot at the front door and shook his head. For the most part the teen was clean but he had a habit of throwing his shoes wherever when he got home. Marcus walked down the hall and tossed the shoes in Bellamy's room when a sniffling noise caught his attention. He turned to peak into Octavia's room but she wasn't in it.

"Odd," he mumbled to himself as he continued down the hall. He stopped in the doorway of his room. Octavia was sitting on his bed with her feet tucked under herself. A photo frame sat in her lap. Marcus could see the tears fall from her face and he felt himself falter. He wasn't a dad; he didn't know the first thing about consoling a child. The kids had been fitting into his life easily and they were content, even happy. Things were easy for the three of them and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with her in this moment.

He took a deep breath to prepare himself before stepping into his room. Octavia glanced up at him when she heard his footsteps getting close to her. Her blue eyes seemed even bluer because of how red the whites of them were. They were glossy and they stared into Marcus'. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying in front of him but her body went against her and a new wave of tears started. His heart knotted at the site. She looked so much like her mother sometimes.

"Oh honey," Marcus whispered as he sat down on the bed next to her. He looked at the picture in her lap and a doleful smile found its way to his lips. In the photo Aurora was beaming, her happiness clearly rubbing off on him as he grinned at the camera.

"I miss her," Octavia sniffled.

"I do too," Marcus pulled Octavia into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. Her sniffling turned into sobs instantly.

"Why did. Why did she leave?" Octavia turned her body to bury her face into Marcus.

"She didn't want to. Life happens for reasons we don't understand."

"She was my mom."

"I know sweetie. I know," he pulled her tighter into him and her arms found their way around his torso.

"It's not fair," she sniffed.

"No, it's not, and I know you're hurting and I'm sorry for that."

Marcus leaned his back against the headboard of his bed as he kept Octavia in his lap. Her arms stayed tightly wrapped around him as her tears kept coming. He could feel them beginning to soak through his shirt. There was nothing he could do to take her pain away and nothing he could say would make it better. Octavia had her heart broken on numerous occasions. Her father left before she made her entrance into the world. He was the first boy to break her heart even though he was supposed to be the only guaranteed one protecting it. Then Aurora broke her heart by leaving her. It wasn't in her control but the ten year old was left without her mother. She was going to be entering teen years and not have the role model most young girls do. Marcus rested his chin on her head as she began to slow her crying. He could vividly remember holding Aurora as she cried when he was a young man and she was newly pregnant and single.

"She loved you so much," he whispered to her.

"I miss feeling her love me," Octavia's voice cracked.

"I miss feeling loved by her too. It was a good feeling, huh?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "She loved you?"

"She did. But not the way she loved you and Bellamy."

"How did she love you?" Octavia sat up so she could look at Marcus. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot and her cheeks were tear stained.

"She loved me the way you love your brother."

"She did?"

"I think so," Marcus gave her a small smile.

"Why did she leave you then? She moved away from you."

Octavia laid herself back against Marcus' chest and let out a sigh. He placed a kiss on the top of her head before hugging her against him.

"She left me because she had to. Bellamy was little and she needed to find her way. She had to do what was best for her and him and the best thing was starting fresh."

"Why didn't you go with her?"

"Because my life was here. My family was here. Her family was just Bellamy and she needed to be the best she could be for him."

"Why did Bellamy's dad stay here?"

"Because Bellamy's dad didn't know how to be a dad," Marcus sighed as he thought about Robert and the hurt he caused Aurora. But part of him was relieved that Robert didn't take the fatherly role he was supposed to. If he had Bellamy would have had a different life and Marcus wanted Bellamy. He also wanted Octavia.

"You should've gone with her," Octavia whispered and lowered her face so Marcus couldn't look at her face. She was saying something she had felt for weeks and was afraid Marcus would be upset with her.

"Why should I have gone with her?"

"So you could've been our dad."

Marcus sat silently as he thought about the words Octavia just said. When Aurora left a part of him did want to run away with her. He wanted to be the one to save her. The one to take care of her and Bellamy but he knew it wasn't his place. He loved her and she loved him but they were never in love with each other. There was no chemistry between them and there never had been.

"If you went with her you could've been there. You would be Bellamy's dad cause his dad didn't want to be one. You could've been my real dad. She would've have been with you instead of mine."

"Honey, if I went with your mom I don't think things would have worked out that way."

"Why?" She looked up at him through her eyelashes.

"Because I didn't love your mother like that. I've never loved anyone like that."

"If you did love her like that would you have gone?"

"In a heartbeat."

"And you could've been my dad. I could've had a dad like Clarke has."

"Clarke is the only person who is ever going to have a dad like Jake. Everyone's dads are different," Marcus stated.

"She has a dad that loves her though."

"Yes she does. And I know I'm not your dad, but I do love you Octavia."

She pulled away from him so she could see him. Her blue eyes stared into his dark ones for what seemed like forever. Marcus watched her carefully, the way she blinked and took in a deep breath before letting out a long sigh. Her eyes closed slowly and the corners of her mouth lightly turned up.

Marcus Kane was not her dad but at the same time she almost felt like he was. He looked after her the way a dad did. At her games he cheered her on from the stands, loud enough for her to hear him. In the morning he made breakfast for her before school and packed lunches for her. On the weekends he made sure they did something fun and he would take her to Raven's or Clarke's. He let her friends come over and he would take them to get dinner or to see a movie. Marcus was the only dad she had ever had in her life.

"I love you," Octavia whispered and Marcus felt his heart expand, almost like it was going to burst at the seams.

"I love you too sweetheart," he said into her hair before kissing her head.

"You're the best dad I've ever had."

"You're the best daughter I've ever had," he smiled.

"And Bell?"

"Best son I've ever had," he chuckled. Octavia threw her arms around his neck and hugged him as tightly as she could. He wrapped his arms around her and savored the moment. This had never been the plan for his life, but it was so much better than he could have anticipated.


	4. CH 4

Octavia sat next to Marcus on the bleachers that surrounded the high school baseball field. The season had been going well for the team and Marcus made a point to go to the home games. Just as expected Octavia's team finished their season just at the beginning of Bellamy's pre-season training started. Her season had been the distraction that he needed after the accident. He was back to himself before his pre-season training even started.

"Octavia," Clarke said as she made her way up the bleachers to her friend. Her dad followed behind her.

"Hey," Octavia smiled and scooted over for Clarke. Clarke took a seat next to her and Jake sat on the other side of Clarke.

"How's the game?" Jake looked over the girls to Marcus.

"The other team seems to be pretty equal to them. It'll be a tight finish."

"How're the boys playing?"

"Pretty good. John missed a pop fly earlier and if this wasn't a high school game I think Bellamy may have murdered him."

"I think John might be able to take him. He is scrappy," Jake chuckled.

"It would be a fair fight," Marcus grinned.

The group watched as the game slowly came to an end. Each inning was played skillfully with boys teams doing their best to get outs quickly. The scoreboard read 3 to 2 after the ninth inning finished. Marcus watched as the boys grabbed their things from the dugout and walked off of the field.

Marcus stood up and Octavia followed his lead. They walked down the bleachers with Jake and Clarke behind them. Bellamy walked over with a glum look on his face, the eye black that was under only his eyes now all over from wiping his face during the game. He wore baseball hat backwards on his head. He hated losing as much as the next person, no matter how equally matched the teams are. He was tired from the last nine innings and even though he played as well as he could there was no way they were going to win. To many little mistakes were made by his team.

"You still played good," Octavia looked up at her brother.

"Thanks O," he gave her a dejected grin.

"You really did," Clarke added.

"Did you just say something nice to Bellamy," Jake's eyes widened as he looked at Clarke. Clarke glared at her father then looked back to Bellamy.

"You smell disgusting," she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Do I?" Bellamy sniffed his jersey, "Yeah I do."

"Told you," Clarke shrugged.

Bellamy looked at Clarke and smirked at her. He grabbed her quickly and hugged her, making sure to rub his head on her.

"Bellamy," Clarke squealed and tried to escape from his grasp.

"Bell," Octavia giggled.

She wanted to tell him to let go of Clarke but at the same time knew if she intervened she'd be the next person with sweat all over them. Bellamy let go of Clarke and she stood with her arms out in front of her. Octavia leaned over to Clarke and sniffed her before pulling up her nose.

"Now you stink," Octavia grinned.

"I hate him," Clarke huffed.

"You should probably go home and shower, Princess," Bellamy smirked.

"You love to pick on her huh?" Jake grinned.

"It's just so easy," Bellamy shrugged.

"She doesn't fight him like Octavia does," Marcus said.

"Hear that Clarke?" Jake patted his daughter on the shoulder, "You have to fight him back like Octavia does."

Clarke glared at Bellamy and turned around to walk to her dad's car. Octavia walked in step next to her. Marcus, Jake and Bellamy followed behind. Clarke stopped in front of her dad's candy red Chevelle.

"Is that your car?" Bellamy asked.

"It is," Jake smiled.

"You've never seen the Chevelle?" Marcus asked.

"I didn't even know he had a car like this," Bellamy stared at the pristine muscle car.

"I got it when I was a eighteen. First car I ever bought. My mom said as long as I could figure out how to fix it when things happened to it then she didn't care if I bought it. So I fixed it up myself."

"Does it drive nice?"

"Wanna take it for a ride?"

"You're not serious," Bellamy looked at Jake.

"Of course I am. Only rule is you take the girls with so I know you won't see how fast you can go down the street," he grinned.

"Seriously? I can drive it?"

"Take it for a spin around the block. Marcus and I have a few work things we can figure out here real quick while you guys are gone."

"Can I drive it?" Bellamy looked at Marcus.

"I don't care. It's not my car."

"It's an automatic," Jake said as he tossed the keys to Bellamy.

"Okay," Bellamy smiled and turned to the car.

Clarke opened the passenger door and Octavia climbed in. She slid over to the middle of the bench seat in the front and Clarke got in next to her. Bellamy got into the driver's side and looked the dash over. He knew enough about muscle cars to appreciate the one he was currently sitting in. Jake shut the door and leaned onto the window.

"You'll wanna give her some gas when you start it," he said and Bellamy nodded.

Bellamy put the key in the ignition and did as Jake said. The engine roared to life and Bellamy bit his bottom lip to keep himself from grinning like a fool.

"We need proof that if I get any ticket sent to my house for running a red light that I wasn't driving," Jake said as he stood back and pulled out his phone. Octavia leaned against her brother's side and Clarke got close behind her. When all three kids were visible Jake snapped a photo.

"Now go for a drive," he waved them off.

"And remember you have two little girls with you," Marcus said and Bellamy nodded before pulling out of the parking lot.

Clarke turned up the radio and rolled the passenger window down. This car was one of her favorite things in the world. When she was an infant who couldn't sleep Jake would put her car seat in the Chevelle and drive around the neighborhood. The rev of the engine would put her to sleep. Since she was a little kid she would go with her dad anywhere and everywhere. There was something comforting about the old leather bench seats and the original green seatbelts.

Bellamy looked over at the girls. They both sat comfortably on the seat next to each other. Clarke and Octavia sang along to the songs on the radio as the fresh spring air came through the window. Not even a year had passed since he moved to Southern California but he would've never guessed he'd be here in this moment. It was perfect, regardless of the game he just lost. Few people were out on the road, the sun was beginning to set which reflected in the red paint of the hood, and Octavia was smiling next to him. She was visibly happy and that was enough for him.

 **So how're you guys feeling about this so far? I'm think about jumping ahead a few years. Anyone wanna see teenage Octavia and Clarke?**


	5. CH 5

**_7 YEARS LATER_**

Bellamy was starting to regret agreeing to the party the minute he parked his truck. He could hear music blaring from Marcus' house and cars were lined up and down the street. Murphy and Miller got out of the truck and grabbed the beer from the bed. Bellamy walked to his home and turned to glance at his friends before going to open the door.

"You're risking a major grounding with this thing," Murphy smirked.

"You know, I'd be worried about that if I still lived here," he smirked.

The door swung open and the boys entered into the house. Kids were everywhere. Music was blasting through the house. Red cups littered the ground and all of the shelves. Murphy started snickering as he followed Bellamy through the house. Clarke and Octavia had really outdone themselves with this one. Bellamy had a feeling that the minute those two were in college things would get dangerous. They hadn't even started their freshman year and this was the kind of party they were throwing. They were rowdy to a fault and in their late teens they both felt like they knew everything in the world.

"If it isn't my favorite Chihuahua!" Octavia ran over to her brother. He pulled her into a hug lifting her off of the floor easily. It was obvious she had already started drinking considering she was overly excited to see him even though she had seen him that morning.

"Hey O," he grinned at he put her back on the floor.

"Miller," she hugged him. "Murphy," she grabbed the other boy.

"Hey ball player," Clarke's voice came from behind Bellamy. He turned around and looked her over. She wore skin tight jeans and a sweatshirt that was cut off to show her stomach. Her blonde hair piled on top of her head in a bun.

"Princess," he smiled and she got onto her tiptoes to throw her arms around his neck. He hugged her and then stepped back from her.

"Getting ready for that spring training?" She lifted her cup to her lips to take a drink.

"Checked out places last week to live so it's safe to say I'm ready."

"Gonna be a real hot shot down there in Texas," she winked.

"Stupid," he shoved her.

"Did you guys bring beer?" Octavia's eyes searched their hands.

"We did and we already put it in the kitchen," Murphy said as he opened his own beer.

"Thank goodness for people who can legally buy alcohol," Octavia beamed.

"She's your problem tonight," Clarke leaned over and whispered to Bellamy.

"Your party your problem," he chuckled.

Clarke played host for a couple of hours. She showed people through the house and made sure no one broke anything. The last thing she needed was some drunk classmate breaking something in Kane's house. It had worked out perfectly for them to have a party. Bellamy was back from Texas so he could supply the party with its growing alcohol needs, Kane and her dad were gone on a business trip and her mom was working an overnight shift. The only thing they needed to worry about was Cage, the next door neighbor, calling in a noise complaint. She did her best to keep all of the party goers in the house and the music at a good volume.

Bellamy sat at the dining room table with Murphy and Miller as well as some guys at the party. A pile of money laid in the middle of the table as they all looked over their cards. Most of the college kids were too drunk to play a good round of poker. The only people he actually had to worry about were Murphy and Miller. The two made sure to keep their poker faces strong as they sipped on their beers.

"Full house," Bellamy smirked as he threw down his cards and heard the others moan.

"Not so fast Blake," Miller raised a brow, "Four of a kind."

"Are you shitting me? Best hand I'm dealt all game and you have those cards."

"Maybe next hand," he grinned as he slid the money over to himself.

"Mind if I join?" A feminine voice made the boys at the table turn. A girl with dark eyes stared at Murphy.

"Uh," Murphy stuttered, "Yeah. Here." He pulled up a chair next to himself and she took the seat next to him.

"What're we playing?" The girl asked.

"Poker," Miller answered.

"I can help you if you need it," Murphy smirked at her.

"Honey, you're the one who's going to be needing help," her dark eyes bore into his as she laid her long brown hair over her shoulder.

"I like 'em feisty," he grinned at her.

"Buy in is a buck," Bellamy told the newcomer.

"A buck?" She raised her eyebrows at the low amount.

"We're broke twenty somethings," Murphy stated.

"If you say so," she smiled.

"And new girl's name is?" Miller asked.

"Emori."

"Emori," Murphy said, testing the name on his tongue.

The poker game continued as the party grew at a steady pace. Emori was cleaning the boys out of their money. She knew when to bet more and when to fold.

"Look at them getting hustled by her," Octavia whispered to Clarke.

"Let her take all their money. They took all of ours too many times to count when they were teaching us to play," Clarke smugly grinned.

"Payback is a bitch."

Octavia walked over to the poker table and took a seat next to Miller.

"You buying in?" Bellamy looked over to his sister and she shook her head.

"We're just here to watch all of your money get taken," Clarke said and as she sat down on the only free seat at the table, Bellamy's lap. Clarke rested an arm over his shoulders while he held his cards in front of them.

"You better not be signaling to O what kind of cards I have, Princess," Bellamy gave Clarke a warning look.

"I'd never."

"Bull."

There was a switch in their attitudes toward each other when Clarke hit about fifteen. She was suddenly more mature and she started spending more time with Bellamy and his friends even though there were more than a few years between them. Octavia and Clarke had also seemed older than the other kids their age. They fit in with Bellamy and his friends and he didn't mind having them around. If they were with him he at least knew they weren't getting themselves into any trouble.

"I'm always fond of fans of my work," Emori grinned at the girls.

"I like this girl," Octavia stated.

"Nice hand Bell," Clarke whispered.

"Shh," he pinched her.

"Princess," a male voice said as he entered the room.

"Finn," Clarke jumped up from Bellamy's lap.

Bellamy watched as Clarke went and hugged the boy. He had brown shaggy hair and his eyes roamed over Clarke's body. Murphy watched Bellamy tense up as he watched the exchange.

"Blake," Murphy said pulling his attention back to the game, "You in or folding?"

"I'll raise you guys five dollars," Bellamy threw a bill into the pot.

"I take your bet and raise you another five," Emori placed her money down.

"Alright," Bellamy put another five dollars down.

Clarke grabbed Finn's hand and led him into the kitchen to get a drink. She had met him at orientation and discovered that they had an art class together. She'd spent a couple of days with him over the summer. Once they went to the store to buy supplies for class another day they went and got their student ids. She had felt a pull to him and figured if he wanted to spend time with her she'd let him. There was no reason to avoid other boys while waiting for some kind of miracle to happen between her and Bellamy. She was always reminding herself he was Octavia's older brother.

"Here," Clarke smiled at him and handed him a beer.

"Thank you," he took it from her and cracked it open, "So the guy playing poker?"

"Which one?"

"Your boyfriend."

"My boyfriend," she cocked her head to the side.

"The one you were cozying up with."

"Oh," she laughed and shook her head, "That's Bellamy. He's Octavia's older brother."

"So boyfriend?"

"No way. Nothing like that. Just friends."

"Good."

"Good?"

"I didn't want to overstep any boundaries by doing this." He put his beer down on the counter and grabbed the back of her neck. She could feel her breathing stop as he pulled her face close to hers. Her lips touched his in a soft kiss.

"I hope that was okay," he whispered.

"It was," she smiled before going in to kiss him again.

Clarke followed Finn out to the backyard, each of them carrying a beer. She sat close to him on the porch. Clarke had never been interested in dating in high school. Her main focus was her schoolwork. She needed to get the best grades so she could to get into a top notch nursing program. Finn was one of the first boys to take an interest in her at school.

"So oil painting?" he looked at her.

"Going to be one of my hardest classes this semester."

"I don't believe that miss nursing major."

"I'm telling you. Anatomy is so much simpler then renaissance style oil painting. Then add in the fact that I have to have at least a 20x20 canvas."

"I'm sure your paintings will turn out amazing."

"Thanks," Clarke could feel her cheeks warming up and she was grateful they were out in the back.

Back in the house the poker game was still going and Octavia was drinking at a quick pace. She was going toe to toe with Murphy. Seeing who was more quick witted in their crap talking battle. It was amusing and Bellamy couldn't help but laugh. Octavia was one of the few people who had a way of putting Murphy in his place.

"Octavia it's not every day that I get to have such a world champion poker player helping me out," Murphy took a drink of his beer.

"If you'd listen to me you'd start making some of that money back. But you know I'm starting to get the feeling you don't mind losing to Emori. I see you glancing over there."

"You have no idea what you're talking about Blake."

"My eyes are up here in case you were curious," Emori smirked at Murphy.

"Emori, I don't think he even realized you had eyes."

"Octavia," Miller laughed and Emori stared at John. She was hoping she was sending the right hints his way. Emori had caught him looking over at her a few times and she didn't mind the attention. Most boys seemed to scare away from her, but John didn't.

"I think it's about time for you to go to bed little sister," Bellamy said in too much of a fatherly way for Octavia's liking.

"It's my party. I will stay up as late as I want to."

"If you want to stay up you're gonna drink one for one with me. Every time I finish a beer you better finish one."

"Done."

"She's going to die tonight," Miller grinned.

A knock on the door made the group turn at once. So far everyone had let themselves in which meant the person knocking was not apart of the party. Bellamy got up from his seat and went to the front. He opened the door and was greeted by a growing Cage. He should've guessed that Cage would be upset about the party. He watched the house like a hawk at all times. Cage was clearly not a fan of kids and even less of a fan of teenagers.

"Cage," Bellamy nodded.

"You do realize that it is close to midnight Mr. Blake?"

"I do."

"Then my only question for you is why is there still so much noise coming from your house?"

"We turned the music off at ten," Bellamy folded his arms in front of his chest.

"Amazingly there is still noise coming from the house."

"We'll keep it down."

"You better or I'm filing a complaint."

"Alright," Bellamy shut the door and went back to the poker game.

"He's never in a good mood is he," Octavia wondered out loud.

"The day we see Cage in a good mood we're going to have to worry about our lives," Miller grinned.

* * *

The house was a mess and Bellamy knew there was only so much time to get everything back in place before Marcus got home. His bed was calling his name but so was not getting in trouble for helping Octavia throw a party. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before stretching and getting out of bed. Miller was asleep on his bedroom floor and he stepped over him on his way to Octavia's room. Octavia was curled up in her bed fast asleep and facing a sleeping Clarke. Both girls were softly snoring and in their clothing from the night before. Bellamy kicked the bed making the girls jolt awake.

"Rise and shine kids. We have a house to clean," he stood at the foot of the bed.

"I'm breaking up with alcohol," Octavia groaned.

"Next time don't go one for one with me, shit show."

"I was not a shit show," she pulled her pillow over her head.

"I'm going to have to agree with Bell and say you were one," Clarke yawned with her head still on the pillow and her eyes closed.

"You're supposed to be on my side," Octavia sat up in her bed glaring at Clarke.

"Never try to out drink Bell. You're asking for trouble."

Octavia looked at Clarke. Her eyes were still shut and her body still comfortably under the covers. It was clear that Clarke wasn't suffering from a head splitting hangover like Octavia was. In one swift move Octavia ripped the covers from Clarke's body and kicked her off of the bed. Clarke hit the floor with a thud.

"Octavia," she moaned.

"Glad you're both up. Now out of the room and let's get cleaning," Bellamy said still at the foot of the bed.

"Sir yes sir," Clarke saluted him before getting up to her feet.

The house started to look presentable within the first hour of cleaning. Clarke started putting away snacks that were still good while Octavia tossed out the ones that had gone stale over the night. Bellamy made sure all beer cans and red cups were outside and in the trash. He knew Marcus wouldn't care if there was alcohol in the house, Bellamy was 23. But having a party was another issue entirely. He didn't like having a bunch of teenagers at the house partying, especially when they were kids he didn't know and there was underage drinking going on. Miller and Murphy went through the house putting things back in their places. The house was finally perfect and they all were sitting in the living room when they heard the truck pull into the driveway.

"Well done team," Bellamy said and highfived the girls.

Marcus came through the front door to find Bellamy, Octavia, Clarke, Miller and Murphy in the living room. The kids were all on the couch and a few of them had xbox controllers in their hands as they played some sort of racing game. The boys each had a beer next to them.

"Hey," Marcus smiled and he received numerous greetings at the same time. Octavia stood up from her spot on the couch to go hug him hello. Marcus pulled her into himself and kissed the top of her head. Clarke got up next to hug Marcus as well. She had grown up between her house and his since Octavia moved in with him. If Jake was being crazy she knew her pseudo dad might be able to talk some sense into him.

"How was work?" Bellamy asked.

"Work. How was Texas?" Marcus asked. He hadn't had a chance to talk with Bellamy since he had been home. He'd seen him in passing, Bellamy returning and himself leaving for a work trip.

"It was good. I found a few spots that look nice to rent."

"Beer?" Murphy offered an unopened can to Marcus.

"Thanks," Marcus took it and opened it. He sat down next to Bellamy and glanced at the tv to see who was winning the race.

"There's one place pretty close to the field that I really liked. It's a simple one bed one bath place. Not too big but big enough," Bellamy looked over at Marcus.

"You getting ready to leave all of us?" Marcus leaned back into the couch.

"I'm not sure. I ready for a change and I'm ready to start getting out there in the league."

"Well, being on a triple-a team is definitely going to help you get your name out there."

"Bellamy Blake the Chihuahua's short stop," Octavia beamed.

"The goal is to get back here though. I don't want to stay in Texas. The sooner I get out of the minor league the better. Get on the Padres and only be an hour and a half from here. You guys could come to the games too," Bellamy grinned.

"We're going to go to your games when you're on the Chihuahua's too. We wouldn't miss them," Marcus smiled.

* * *

The group ordered Thai food and Clarke offered to go pick it up. Bellamy got up from his spot when she was ready to leave to get the food. She followed him out to his truck and hopped in the passenger seat. The two didn't need to talk to know what the other was thinking.

"So the boy last night?" Bellamy said as he turned the engine on.

"He's a friend," Clarke blushed.

"A friend that makes your cheeks turn bright red?"

"He's nice, Bell."

"How do you know that he's nice?"

"I just know," she rolled her eyes.

The last few months had been hot and cold between them. Clarke could vividly remember getting her first crush at the age of thirteen and it was on Bellamy. It was like she woke up one day and suddenly he was cute to her. She felt like there was a switch in him as well, like one day he stopped seeing her as a little girl. But then again she could be mistaken and he could see her the same way as he sees Octavia.

Clarke had grown into herself the last year and she went from a little girl to a young lady. A young lady that Bellamy didn't mind looking at. She would go toe to toe with him and she was stubborn to a fault. There were times he'd catch himself beginning to flirt and he'd have to cut back on it. There was an unsaid boundary between him and Clarke and a very visible boundary, Octavia. He would not be interested in his little sister's best friend. Not now, not ever. But he was gonna allow himself to admire the scenery every once in a while. Soon enough he would be gone and he wouldn't have to worry about his feelings for Clarke developing into something more.

Bellamy pulled into the parking lot and Clarke jumped out of the truck. She ran inside and as fast as she was out of the truck she was back in but with numerous bags of hot food.

"You're going to miss this stuff when you're in Texas," she said as she inhaled the scent.

"I'm sure they have Thai food in Texas" Bellamy rolled his eyes.

"You don't know that. You're gonna get so sick of bar-b-que. "

"Good thing I happen to like bar-b-que, Princess."

"I like it too. I'm just saying you're going to get sick of it when it's the only thing you're eating day in and day out."

"There is more in Texas than just that."

"You getting excited to leave?" Clarke looked over at him.

"I am," he smiled and she felt her heart drop. Part of her still held onto hope that one day he'd open his eyes and notice her. See her waiting patiently for him to see her as another girl and not as Octavia's best friend. She was beginning to dread the fact that in a couple of months he would be gone.

Octavia was her best friend and not having her around would turn Clarke's world upside down. But she had a hard to explain friendship with Bellamy as well. He was older than her and a boy but the way he treated her made her feel like he was her best friend as well. Sure he had Miller and Murphy but there was something about the bond Clarke shared with him. Him going to Texas meant she was losing him in a sense and she knew he was going to make it to the Padres. Within a few years Bellamy Blake would be a name in the sports world and girls would be throwing themselves at him. She would only be Octavia's best friend.

"I'm gonna miss you though," Bellamy squeezed her leg and she placed her hand on top of his. It was things like this that made her feel like somewhere in him he felt the same pull to her that she felt to him. But here she was a newly eighteen year old college girl and he was a college graduate headed into the minor leagues. They were starting new chapters in their lives and they were going to be thousands of miles away.

* * *

 **What do you guys think?**


	6. CH 6

Marcus watched as the kids piled into Bellamy's truck as well as Nate's. After the boys graduated from high school they started the tradition of going camping out by the beach near the end of every summer. It was usually just a couple nights worth of vacation and this year they were making sure to do it before Bellamy left. The girls had never gone with the boys before but were going along since they were finally out of high school.

Clarke threw a duffle bag into the bed of Bellamy's truck and then tossed Octavia's next to hers. Marcus went through a list of things, making sure Octavia had everything. She nodded to everything he said and he could see the annoyance on her face. He always knew there would eventually be a time that he'd be the annoying parent and he didn't mind.

"You brought firewood?" Marcus asked.

"Yes," Octavia sighed.

"I just want to make sure you guys have everything you could need."

"We do and if we somehow forgot something we'll just buy it there. It's not like we're going far away. We're just going to Malibu," Octavia gave him a reassuring smile.

"I know. I just worry about you kids."

"I know, but we're not kids anymore."

"You're still a kid," Bellamy said as he walked by the two and to the driver's side of the truck.

"Thanks for being on my side," Octavia rolled her eyes.

"Let's go guys," Nate hollered from his truck and everyone started finding seats.

"Have fun," Marcus stepped back and folded her arms over his chest.

"We will," Clarke grinned and she hopped into the back of Bellamy's truck.

"See you in a few days," Octavia smiled and gave Marcus a quick hug before following Clarke.

Marcus walked over to Bellamy's side of the truck and rested against the door, "You watch those two."

"My sister, my responsibility," Bellamy grinned.

"And her," Marcus pointed at Clarke.

"I will."

"Have fun guys," Marcus walked back to the house. The group said bye to him and headed out. He shook his head as the trucks disappeared from his view. He knew the boys got into trouble when they were all together and this was the first time the girls went with the boys without any adults.

It wasn't that he didn't trust them, he did. He knew that Bellamy would look after Octavia and Clarke like he always did. He just wasn't ready for Octavia to be grown up. When she moved in she was a little girl and still in elementary school. Bellamy seemed to be an adult from day one. He was always older than his age and Marcus respected that about him. But Octavia grew up right in front of his eyes. Jake had told him that everything would happen fast. Kids grow up in what seems like seconds.

* * *

The campsite was slowly becoming more than just a dirt area. A few tents were finally up and the one RV that was there was all hooked up and ready to go. Jasper had talked his parents into letting him use their Winnebago for the few days they were gone. It was the first time that the group had more than a few simple tents. The Winnebago had a fridge, which meant that the group didn't need to worry about keeping their food cold with ice chests. The ice chests were immediately filled with beers and ice while a few bottles of liquor were put into the freezer of the RV.

After the tents got all set up a few of them put on bathing suits and grabbed towels. The campsite wasn't right on the beach but you could walk to the beach from their site. Octavia and Clarke followed behind Nate as he led the way. The group found a spot on the sand and laid out their towels. Octavia fell onto her stomach and faced the water while Clarke propped herself up on her elbows.

Murphy and Miller had grabbed a skim board and were against the shore break trying to make it into the waves. It was clear that Miller had skim boarded before while Murphy was a novice. Clarke and Octavia kept their focus on the boys as Miller would easily skim across the sand and into a wave. Murphy would jump onto the board and was lucky if the board kept moving.

Emori plopped down next to Clarke and laughed as she watched John fall at the end of most of his attempts. She leaned forward on her knees as she watched her boyfriend. Their relationship had moved quickly but she felt comfortable for the first time. Things with John came naturally.

Bellamy walked out to the beach with Jasper. Jasper spotted their group and the two went over to the rest of their friends. Bellamy took once glance at his sister's bikini before shaking his head. She had left the campsite without him seeing her, which was for a clear reason. If he had seen the bikini before she left he would've made her put on a different one. The bottoms were smaller than any other ones he had seen her in.

"What are you wearing?" Bellamy asked Octavia as he dropped his towel on top of her and covered her bottoms.

"A bikini," she looked up at him.

"Could've fooled me. That's basically a thong," he frowned before sitting down next to her.

"It is not a thong," Clarke giggled.

"It's a cheeky bottom," Jasper said matter of factly, "They're in style."

"Don't try to help her out," Bellamy gave his friend a dirty look.

"Would you have a problem if Clarke was wearing them?" Octavia raised an eyebrow at her brother.

"Yes," his voice clipped.

"Bullshit."

"I don't want either of you wearing things that barely cover your ass," he shook his head.

"Brothers," Octavia rolled her eyes.

"Good thing I'm an only child," Clarke grinned.

Bellamy stared at his sister then glanced at Clarke. Truthfully he wouldn't want Clarke to wear Octavia's bikini either. He doesn't need strangers' eyes roaming over them as they sat at the beach. If it were another girl he wouldn't care. But being eighteen he wished the girls would just wear cover-ups at all times, even though he knew it would never happen. It was easier when they were younger, but they were young women now and he still wasn't used to it. As far as he was concerned they were still teenage girls who needed to be looked after.

* * *

The group sat around the dying fire as they waited for Monty to return with more wood. Octavia hadn't grabbed enough wood for the trip, but she didn't expect it to be so cold at night. It was the middle of August and hot as usual, however being this close to the beach made the air cool down once the sun set.

"Do we have marshmallows?" Emori asked to no one in particular. She was crouched down on the ground and going through a bag of food with Octavia.

Nate's eyes went wide, "I forgot them!"

"Miller!" Octavia threw a graham cracker at him.

"Someone call Monty!"

"I will," Jasper said as he pulled out his cell phone. "Hey," he said into the phone, "Monty. Yeah. Are you on your way back? Turn around and go back! We need marshmallows!"

"Love you Monty!" Octavia yelled.

"Monty?" Jasper said and then moved his phone to look at the screen, "Hater. He hung up on me."

"Think he's gonna get the marshmallows?" Emori looked at Jasper.

"He will. Monty has a thing for smores," Murphy grinned.

Bellamy came out from his truck and tossed a sweatshirt at Octavia. She hadn't asked him for a jacket but he could tell she was starting to get cold by the way she stood close to the fire and would move from having her back towards it then her stomach. Octavia smiled at her brother before putting the sweatshirt on. She walked over to a seat next to Clarke and the two waited for Monty to return.

"My savior," Jasper smiled as Monty walked back into their campsite.

"How do you forget the one thing we tell you to remember when you went grocery shopping?" Monty glared at Miller.

"I was caught up buying alcohol. Be thankful that I let you drink kiddo. We both know you can't buy beer for yourself," Miller smirked and grabbed the wood from Monty. He opened up the saran wrap around it and strategically placed more wood into . Monty went over to a small table they had put out with food on it and grabbed some metal hangers to put marshmallows on.

The group sat around the fire, a few of them making smores while the others sipped on beers. The fire kept them comfortable as the exchanged stories and laughter filled their site. Clarke curled up onto her chair as the night went on. She had been up early in the morning to get some stuff down around the house for her mom. Her eyes closed as she listened to the conversations around her. She could hear Octavia giggle next to her as Jasper continued the story of how he locked a substitute teacher out of a classroom. Clarke wiggled her toes to keep herself awake but it didn't end up working.

Bellamy looked across the fire to Clarke's sleeping form. She stayed curled up in a ball with her cheek resting against her knees. Her mouth was slightly open and her hair was all inside the hood of her jacket. She was cute when she slept. He didn't argue with her about anything and she couldn't get under his skin. Clarke had a talent for finding ways to push Bellamy's buttons. Octavia had mentioned to her brother that Clarke had gone on a few dates with the Finn boy. From what he understood she liked the boy quite a bit and even though it bothered him he figured it was for the best. If she was interested in someone else it made it easier for him to not act on any of his own feelings for her. It was easier to remind himself that Clarke was Octavia's best friend and that she was six years younger than him. He couldn't even take her out to a bar for a drink. She needed to be with someone her own age and he didn't need anymore ties to home before getting ready to leave everyone and everything behind.

"Do you hear her?" Octavia looked to Emori. Clarke was softly snoring beside her.

"She needs to go to bed," Emori smiled.

"I'll grab her, don't wake her up," Bellamy said as he stood up from his seat.

He walked around the fire and crouched down to Clarke. He put one arm under the bend in her knees and the other under her arms. Easily he stood up and kept her body against his. Octavia's tent was next to his and he walked Clarke over to it.

"Those two," Murphy mumbled after Bellamy was out of hearing distance.

"What?" Octavia looked over at him.

"Your brother has it bad for Griffin."

"No he doesn't," Octavia shook her head, "She's like another little sister."

"If you say so," Murphy shrugged and looked over at Emori who was grinning at him. The two had discussed Bellamy and Clarke before and felt the same way about it. As far as they were concerned Bellamy was in love with Clarke but too afraid to admit it to anyone, even himself.

Bellamy ducked into the tent and gently put Clarke down on the air mattress that Octavia had filled up earlier in the day. She stirred in her sleep and he grabbed a blanket to drape over her. Clarke's eyes fluttered open and she gave him a soft smile before closing them again, "Thanks Bell," she whispered.

"Anytime Princess," he grinned and left her in the tent.

* * *

Clarke wasn't sure what time it was but everyone had spent the morning drinking champagne that was initially meant for mimosas and then moved on to cocktails and beer. Emori had stepped outside of the Winnebago with Jell-O shots about an hour prior and Clarke wasn't sure who had suggested playing Power Hour to the group but no one even made it through the hour before they gave up. The shots were finished within the first thirty minutes and everyone was stumbling around and laughing.

"I hate Jell-O shots," Clarke moaned and leaned back into her chair.

"Me too," Jasper said as he stuffed a donut into his mouth from on his lap. "Here," he handed a sprinkled one to Clarke.

"How did you know that one is my favorite?" Clarke smiled.

"I'm a good guesser."

"Why did we play that stupid game?" John asked from his spot on the ground. He was laying on his back on a blanket while Emori sat next to him with her legs over his torso.

"I think it was your idea," she smirked.

Octavia looked at her brother as he sat next to her. He had been nursing a beer for the last twenty minutes. She looked at the bottle in her own hands before grabbing Bellamy's and hitting the top of his with the bottom of her own.

"Asshole," he said as he sat up straight. The group laughed as the foam started coming out of the top of his beer and started to spill onto the dirt. He quickly brought the beer to his mouth and began chugging it to keep himself from wasting more of it.

"That's more like it," Octavia grinned as her brother gave her a disgusted look and put the remainder of the beer between his feet on the ground.

Bellamy's head was spinning and his stomach turned. He could feel the beer mixing with the Jell-O and his stomach lurched. In a swift moment he stood up from his chair, which only made things worse. He quickly put a fist to his mouth and closed his eyes to keep everything down.

"Blake is gonna puke," Monty laughed.

"Puke out here and I'll kick your ass," Miller grinned, "The last thing we need is flies cause you can't handle your alcohol.

Bellamy opened his eyes and took a breath. He let it out and thought for a moment that he had things under control again. "Uh uh," he said and quickly made his way to the Winnebago and went into the bathroom.

Octavia could hear her brother throwing up in the RV she sat in front of. She frowned and the noise he was making made her own stomach queasy. "Bellamy," she yelled as she looked back at the RV, "Can you keep it down?"

"You think he can control himself right now?" Miller laughed, "I don't think he has had anything but alcohol today."

"I'm gonna go check on him," Octavia said and walked into the trailer.

After waiting a few minutes Murphy sat up from his spot on the ground and looked around his friends. "You think she's puking too?"

"Go check," Clarke smirked as she took another donut from Jasper.

Murphy got up and tried to run into the RV as he stumbled. Almost instantly he was back outside and bent over laughing. "The Blakes are puking in the Minnie Winnie."

"Both of them?" Miller snorted.

"They're in the bathroom sitting next to each other sharing the toilet. They're taking turns throwing up," he could barely say between the gasps for air due to his laughter.

"They're probably holding each other's hair," Jasper snickered.

"The Blakes are puking in the Minnie Winnie," Murphy wiped his eyes.

"Like brother like sister," Clarke grinned.

"Clarke," Emori said and Clarke looked over at her, "Where's Raven?"

"She's mad at me," Clarke frowned.

"Why?" Monty went to grab a water from the ice chest. He didn't want to be the next person sharing a bathroom with Bellamy and Octavia.

"You know Finn?" Clarke started and everyone nodded. "So he and I have been hanging out for a while. We've gone on a couple of dates and stuff."

"You like him?" Emori asked.

"I do. Well I did."

"Oooo past tense," John smirked.

"Well it turns out Raven's been dating him for a while now."

"What?" Emori's eyes got wide and her mouth gaped open.

"Yup," Clarke pursed her lips. "You know how Raven has always been really to herself?" Everyone nodded and Clarke continued, "Well apparently she's had a boyfriend for a while but she hadn't even gone into detail about him. She likes to keep her private life private and that's fine. I ended up running into her last week while I was running some errands for my dad. Her and I were talking in the aisle of Target and she tells me that she's there with her boyfriend. So she goes to grab him really quick. She walks back over to me with Finn in tow."

"No shit," Miller said.

"Yes. Shit," Clarke smirked and tried to hide her disappointment, "Well Finn stares at me with wide eyes and I had no idea what to say. Raven looked us over and I think she realized we knew each other. So she asked me where I've met Finn. I told her the truth. I told her we had gone on a few dates and he had never mentioned having a girlfriend before. It was so uncomfortable. I tried to explain myself to her but she was upset and she left and Finn ran after her. He's tried to contact me since but Raven won't answer any of my calls or texts. So I'm just giving her some space."

"She'll come around," Emori said, "She's just confused right now."

"I hope so. Cause I never would've done that had I known."

"I know. I'm sure she does too she's just hurt. And unfortunately you unintentionally hurt her."

* * *

Clarke walked out of her tent as the sound of something outside. Her eyes adjusted to the night sky and she looked up to see the full moon. It lit the outside just enough for her to make out a shape on the table.

"Hey," she said to the figure and Bellamy turned towards her.

"Hey," he said and went back to looking over the campsite.

"Can't sleep?" Clarke asked and he nodded. She stepped up onto the seat of the table and took a seat next to him. "Why not?"

"Just realizing I probably won't be here for this trip next year."

"You will," Clarke looked over at him.

"It'll be during my season so I won't be. I'll either be in Texas or some other state."

"But you'll be out there living your dream. Playing baseball for a living. Trying to make your way to the major leagues."

"Yeah, I will," he grinned.

The two sat in silence and Clarke leaned back on the table to look up at the sky. The moon kept a lot of the stars from shining but there were still enough to look up at. Bellamy followed suit and laid back next to her. The two stared up into the sky. That was something Bellamy always appreciated about Clarke, she didn't need to fill silence with noise. She could sit next to him and there was nothing uncomfortable about not having a conversation. Being with Clarke was easy and it had only gotten easier as the two grew up. He glanced next to him and took in her blue eyes as the moon lit them up and her lashes created small shadows on her cheeks. Bellamy turned his head back up to the stars as far as he was concerned Clarke Griffin got more beautiful with each passing year.

* * *

 **There are a few more chapters before Part Two :)**


	7. CH 7

Clarke bounced on the balls of her feet as she heard the ringing of balls being hit by bats. It had been years since she had been at the batting cages. Octavia followed her out of the office with two helmets in her hands. Bellamy walked over to a cage with baseballs at 90 mph and put his bat down.

"I'm doing baseballs," he stated as the girls tried to figure out if they wanted to do baseball or softball.

"We're both floored that you're choosing a baseball machine over a softball one," Octavia rolled her eyes and Clarke chuckled.

"Have you two ever even done baseball?"

"I don't think so."

"It's cause you're afraid."

"We are not."

"Then come use the 90 one," Bellamy smirked as he put his helmet on and grabbed a bat. He put a token into the machine and took his spot over the plate. Clarke and Octavia stood on the other side of the fence and watched as he patiently waited for each ball. The bat hit each one perfectly and sent the balls flying.

"You know, I remember why I stopped coming here," Clarke gestured to Bellamy.

"He makes us look like crap and we haven't even started to bat yet," Octavia nodded.

"Shut up you two," Bellamy hit another ball perfectly.

He stepped out of the cage and handed a bat to Clarke. Clarke put on her helmet and walked into the cage. Bellamy put a token in and pushed the button for the machine to start.

"Holy crap!" Clarke turned back to look at them after the first ball hit the mat behind her.

"What?" Bellamy smirked.

"You can hear it pass you."

"I know."

"Not everyone is a baseball player Bellamy," Octavia glared at him.

"Clarke get ready for the next pitch," Bellamy crossed his arms over his chest and watched her. It was too easy for him to get into the mental state of being their coach. "Hold the bat with your fingers, not your palms Clarke."

The next ball flew by her again and she started to laugh. There was no way she was going to be hitting any of these balls. They were flying by her too fast and she had no idea when she was even supposed to swing. She swung too late for every ball and Octavia started to chuckle. Memories rushed by to Octavia from their softball days. Clarke was more likely to get on base if she was hit by the ball.

"Put another token in," Bellamy said to his sister as he grabbed another helmet and entered the cage. Clarke spun around after the last ball hit the mat behind her. She saw Bellamy enter the cage and she went to walk around him.

"Nope," he said grabbing her and positioning her in front of him, "You're gonna hit at least one."

"These balls are too fast for me Bell."

"I'm going to help you out," he stood behind Clarke and placed his hands on top of hers on the bat. He had to crouch lower than usual because of her height difference but he was confident he could help her hit one.

Clarke felt the heat of his hands on top of hers and her heart began to pound. She had been close to Bellamy before but not like this. This was the first time in her life she could feel his chest pressed up against her back.

"You ready Princess?" He whispered in her ear and she could feels the goose bumps cover her body in an instant.

"Uh huh," was the only thing she could manage to say.

"Relax your muscles," he said as let go of the and placed his hands on her shoulders to shake them out, "You're too tense."

"Loose muscles are fast muscles," she said and remembered him teaching her and Octavia that when they were younger.

"Exactly," he resumed his position behind her and lightly placed his hands over hers.

Bellamy watched as the ball was pitched. At the perfect moment he swung the bat. He could feel Clarke's body move with his lead. He felt the ball connect with the bat and saw it fly out in front of them.

"O, did you see that!" Clarke jumped up and down.

"Does it count as you doing it if Bell is the one who hit the ball?" Octavia grinned.

"He's just helping me," Clarke stuck her tongue out at her friend before turning back towards the machine.

Bellamy led Clarke to hitting the next ball and her level of excitement was the same as the first one she had hit. The third ball connected with the metal bat but not in the sweet spot. It sent a painful vibration through the bat and into Clarke's hands. Clarke instinctively dropped the bat and began shaking out her hands.

"Ow," she turned to Bellamy in confusion, "I have never had that happen."

"We hit the ball on the wrong spot, it happens," he chuckled.

"Why does that happen?"

"When you hit the ball wrong the bat vibrates and that sensation in the handle is the sting."

"That shit hurts."

"That's why you gotta hit the ball right," he smirked. Another ball flew past them causing Clarke to screech in shock and Bellamy instantly laughed.

"I forgot that thing is still going. I'm outta here," she said leaving the cage.

"We all know you're notorious for getting hit," Octavia smirked.

"Shut up," Clarke laughed.

The girls piled into Bellamy's truck after using all of their tokens on the cages. It felt like old times the three of them at the batting cages. It was rare that Octavia and Clarke both had a Friday off together. Bellamy was doing odd jobs here and there to make extra cash. He just needed to make it to spring training so he could start making his salary.

"Just so you both know my stomach is eating itself," Octavia whimpered.

"Did you eat this morning?" Bellamy looked over at his sister and she gave him a sheepish grin, "I take that as we're going to get lunch."

"You're the best big brother," Octavia pulled his face to hers so she could kiss his cheek.

Bellamy pulled into the burger joint just down the street from the batting cages and the girls hopped out. The two were in a conversation that he knew nothing about so he watched them as he followed them inside. Octavia was overly animated as she told Clarke a story and Clarke kept her eyes focused on her friend and a smile. Bellamy wasn't sure when it happened but the girls had grown up right in front of his eyes. Octavia became the rebellious girl he knew she was and Clarke became more stubborn with age, but also more beautiful. He noticed that the two drew many stares from admiring strangers. Some men would turn quickly when they noticed Bellamy look at them and others would silently challenge him.

Octavia walked towards the front counter with Clarke and the two scanned the menu. The best part about this place was the breakfast all day long. Clarke ordered a breakfast burrito and a side of fries for her and Octavia to share. Octavia ordered her normal French toast.

"You ordering?" Octavia turned to her brother.

"Yeah," he said still looking over the menu.

"He's buying," Clarke smiled at the cashier as she was handed drink cups for her and Octavia.

"Wait, what?" Bellamy said as the two walked over to the fountain machine, "I guess I'm buying. I'll get a number one."

"And that's everything?" The cashier asked. Bellamy nodded before handing him his card. He followed the girls to a table after getting himself a drink. Their food came out within minutes.

"How do you two eat breakfast all day long?"

"Like this," Clarke said taking an overly large bite of her breakfast burrito. Octavia giggled at her friend making Clarke start to laugh, but she couldn't with the amount of food in her mouth. Octavia shoved a napkin in front of her friend's face and Clarke spit her bit out.

"This is why you're both single," Bellamy said with disgust which only made the girls laugh more. "Actually keep doing shit like that. I don't want to deal with either of you every having boyfriends."

"Will do," Octavia said as she tossed a fry up into the air and caught it in her mouth.

Bellamy felt his phone vibrate and took it out of his pocket. He cocked his head to the side when he saw Marcus' name on the screen. Marcus was at work and rarely called him when working.

"Hello?"

"Bellamy," Marcus sounded like he was running a race, "Are you with Clarke?"

"Yeah," Bellamy answered slowly. The girls raised their eyebrows in confusion as they watched him on the phone.

"I need you to take her to LAC Medical Center."

"Wait what?" Bellamy was beginning to become concerned, "What's going on?"

"Listen kid," Marcus was breathing heavy and trying his best to remain calm, "I need you to stay relaxed and take her there. Take both of the girls there. You don't have time to drop O off. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Head there now."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. Alright? I just need you to get Clarke there."

"Okay."

"I'll see you when you get there and I'll tell you what's going on. Take a breath and just head out."

"Okay," Bellamy breathed out. He didn't even notice he was holding his breath the whole time.

"Bye."

"Bye." Bellamy hung up the phone and grabbed the trays of food.

"What's going on?" Octavia's eyes were searching his.

"We need to go to LAC Medical Center. Now."

"Why? What's going on?" Octavia jumped up from her seat.

"I don't know O. Marcus didn't say but I need to take you both there."

"Is he okay?" Octavia felt her eyes begin to sting. Bellamy walked over to her and kissed her temple.

"He's okay. He said not to worry about him."

"Are my parents okay?" Clarke gulped.

"I don't know what's going on, I just know I'm supposed to get you there and now."

Clarke nodded and her eyes moved down to the floor. Bellamy threw away the majority of their food and Octavia was already out the door and headed for the truck. Clarke's feet wouldn't move and she wasn't sure if she was even breathing. Her stomach was nauseous and she was scared for what awaited her at the hospital.

"Come on Princess," Bellamy grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeezed before leading her out to the truck.

Bellamy got into the driver's seat and Octavia sat in the middle of the bench seat with Clarke next to the door. All three remained silent as Bellamy drove from freeway to freeway, trying to find the fastest route into downtown. Clarke was chewing on her bottom lip, a habit she acquired in her teens for when she was nervous. Octavia rested her hand on Clarke's knee and Clarke had her head on Octavia's shoulder. The girls silently supported each other as they got closer to their destination.

* * *

The truck was parked for a few minutes before Bellamy opened his door and got out. Octavia slid on the seat and got out of his door as well. Clarke slid to the edge of the driver's seat but remained in the truck. She wasn't sure what awaited her once she entered those doors but she was positive it was something awaiting her. Bellamy held his hand out to her and she grabbed it. He pulled her out of the truck and Octavia grabbed her other hand. The three entered through the emergency room doors.

Marcus saw the kids come in and look through the room for a familiar face. Clarke stood between his kids her hands being held by both of them. Abby was talking with the doctors and hadn't come back yet. He had promised her that he would let Clarke in on what was going on if she came in and he was the only one in the ER. He walked over to the kids and saw Octavia let go a sigh of relief. She's his worrier, never trusting him when he said that he was fine.

"Hi honey," he grabbed Octavia and kissed her head. "I'm fine," he whispered and Octavia nodded.

"What's going on?" Bellamy asked for Clarke. She was starting to shake next to him, the fear of the unknown getting to her.

"Come over here and sit down," Marcus led the kids to some empty chairs. They all sat down and he crouched in front of Clarke so they were eye level.

"Your dad went into cardiac arrest today at the office," Marcus spoke calmly and Clarke gasped. She quickly covered her mouth and her eyes welled with tears.

"Why? Is he okay?" she whimpered and Bellamy threw an arm over her shoulders while Octavia grabbed her hands.

"I don't know kiddo. We got him here as fast as we could."

"Where is my mom?" Clarke choked.

"She's talking to the doctor right now. We're all here, okay?" Clarke nodded as she tried to catch her breath.

Marcus saw Abby come out of a room and lean up against a wall in the hallway. She slid down the wall and buried her face into her hands. He could see the sobs take over her body. Swallowing suddenly became impossible. He already knew that Jake was gone; there was a feeling in the pit of his stomach. His oldest friend was gone and leaving behind a wife and a daughter in her teens. Marcus covered his eyes with a hand and took in a shaky breath. The action sent Octavia into a panic and she turned around and spotted Abby.

"No," Octavia whispered as a few tears escaped from her eyes.

"Clarke," Marcus breathed out, "Your mom is over there."

Clarke turned around and saw her mom sitting on the hospital floor. Her body shook violently with sadness and Clarke could feel her heart in her throat and her ears began pounding. She knew her mom and she knew that she would only be reacting that way if her dad was gone.

"He can't be," Clarke cried and covered her face.

Bellamy looked at Marcus then to Clarke. He knew the look on Clarke's face. The same one Octavia had when Bellamy told her their mom had died. Octavia could feel tears roll down her cheeks and she looked at her brother for some direction. He was a void of emotion.

Clarke got up suddenly and left the room. She sprinted for the front doors. Bellamy got up behind her and ran after her. Clarke sucked in the crisp air outside violently trying to keep herself from throwing up. She felt someone turn her around and crush her into their chest. She knew the smell of Bellamy's cologne and her hands grabbed his shirt. They needed to hold onto something cause everything was falling apart.

"Princess," he whispered and she cried into his chest. Her cries tore his heart in two. This was never a position he wanted to find himself in again. Holding a girl he loves because they just lost someone they still needed.

"I can't talk to her," Clarke choked out. She kept seeing her mom sitting on the floor in the hallway. Hearing the words come from her mouth would mean it was real. Her dad, her hero, was gone. He was supposed to live forever and she couldn't bear to hear her mother tell her that he wasn't.

Bellamy saw Octavia come out from the doors and walk towards them. She went on the other side of Clarke holding, her close to her. Octavia sniffed and looked up at her brother. She could see the pain in his eyes. He'd take this away from Clarke if he could.

"Clarke," Octavia whispered and Clarke's cries became more violent.

* * *

Marcus walked over to Abby slowly. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do or say. She was Jake's wife. He felt nauseous at the word was. Jake was in the past now. He sat down on the floor next to her and put his arm over her shoulders pulling her body into his side.

"He died," Abby sobbed.

"I know," Marcus could barely say it.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know," he told her truthfully. He had no answer for her.

Marcus wasn't sure how long they sat there. Abby pressed against him as tears continued to silently roll down her cheeks. She finally caught her breathe but everything seemed to be in a haze. Marcus next to her was the only comfort she felt and even then it wasn't very comforting. Jake was her comfort.

Footsteps made Marcus look up and he saw the kids all together. Clarke looked about as good as Abby. "Abby," he whispered and Abby nodded, "Clarke."

"Baby," Abby's tears started falling at a fast pace again as she stood up. Clarke nodded and her hand covered her face as a new wave of tears started. Abby pulled her daughter into her and two of them clung to each other.

"Come on," Marcus put a hand on Bellamy and an arm around Octavia guiding them away. "Lets go get them some coffee."

"How long are they gonna be here?" Octavia leaned into Marcus.

"I don't know honey, however long they need to."

"Everyone processes things differently," Bellamy added.

The three found a coffee kiosk outside of the hospital and Marcus got each of them one. He figured they could get some fresh air before heading back inside. Marcus took a seat on a bench and Octavia next to him with Bellamy on the other side of her. Each of them sipped their coffee.

"Are you okay," Bellamy nudged his sister.

"I don't know."

"It's okay not to be. It's okay for both of you to not be okay," Marcus looked between the two of them. "You have both spent a lot of time with the Griffins and you two are close to Clarke."

"Poor Clarke," Octavia whispered and swiped fresh tears from her cheeks.

"She'll be okay eventually. You guys have both have had to go through this before. And you both know you never get over it but you do learn to live your life without them," Marcus patted Octavia's leg.

"I know. I just wish she didn't have to feel this."

"I know."

Bellamy leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees and holding his coffee. Seeing Clarke like that was burned into his mind. She suddenly looked so small and there was no way for him to fix it. Nothing he could say or do would ever make it better, even though he wished it would.

Marcus tried to go over the events of his morning. He had passed Jake on the way to his office just this morning. The two had talked in the break room about the girls starting college. Everything had been normal, until it wasn't. He couldn't remember who yelled that Jake collapsed, but someone did and then everything became hazy. Each moment blurred into the next. He couldn't even remember calling Abby.

Octavia ordered two more coffees before walking back into the ER with Bellamy and Marcus. Abby had taken her car to the hospital as well so Marcus needed to find a way to get her car home. She was in no condition to drive after everything. The three entered the room and saw Clarke and Abby sitting in chairs. Clarke's head rested on her mother's shoulder and Abby's head was resting on Clarke's. Marcus stood in front of Abby before crouching down in front of her.

"You ready to head home?" Marcus asked Abby nodded and wiped her nose.

"Just feels so wrong," Abby mumbled.

"What feels wrong?"

"Going home without him," Bellamy answered for her. Abby's blood shot eyes met his and she nodded. The realization that the young man in front of her understood her situation more than she did broke her heart even more. He was younger than Clarke was when his mom died and she was the only parent he had. Abby got up to her feet and hugged Bellamy as tightly as she could. He was startled by the action and slowly put his arms around her. Abby had never been affectionate towards him before. Her motherly instincts were in overdrive. She squeezed him tightly once more before letting him go.

"Octavia is going to take you and Clarke home. Bellamy has his truck and I have mine," Marcus said to Abby, "You'll let me know if you need anything. Right?"

"I will. Thank you."

"Of course," Marcus pulled her into a hug. He then leaned down and hugged Clarke. "I'm going to head home. I'll see you guys there," he looked over to Bellamy and Octavia and they nodded in response which Marcus took as his queue to leave.

"Come on Abby," Octavia grabbed her hand and led her outside to her car. Abby was the closest thing she had to a mom at this point in her life and seeing her so broken hurt Octavia beyond belief. Suddenly Abby had a newfound knowledge and understanding of the Blake kids. Octavia had been so little when she first moved into Marcus'. Her life had been flipped upside down and her brother became the only constant in her life. Clarke would now understand her friends on a different level; she now understood what it meant to lose a parent. But Octavia and Bellamy were proof that Clarke would learn to be happy again and so would Abby.

"Princess," Bellamy crouched down in front of Clarke and her blue eyes met his, "I know how much this sucks. I know and I'm so sorry." He grabbed her hands and pulled her up from the chair.

"Bell."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Staying with me."

"I'll always stay with you," Bellamy pulled her into his side and kissed the side of her head. She fell into step with him easily and held his hand. Bellamy led her to Abby's car where Abby and Octavia stood next to the car and were in a hushed conversation. "You know where I'll be if you need me."

"I know," Clarke wrapped her arms around him and took a deep breath in. Letting herself get lost in the comfort of him for a minute before she had to face the harsh reality again.

"I'll pick up Octavia later tonight."

Clarke nodded and got into the back seat. Octavia gave her brother a half smile before getting into the driver's seat. Abby pulled him into a quick hug before getting into the passenger's side.

* * *

 **I know, depressing chapter. But there are only a couple more until we get to part 2!**


	8. CH 8

Abby looked into her fridge. It was full of casseroles, lasagnas, sandwiches and salads. Everything was piled in and there always seemed to be more coming. Her coworkers had been stopping by and checking on her and Clarke and none of them ever came empty handed. She began to grab items that she could put in the freezer to open up some space in the fridge. After clearing a shelf she walked out of the kitchen and back into her room.

Clarke was curled up in the bed on the side that Jake had always slept on. Their first night home neither of them slept and Abby had refused to go into her room. Seeing his things was just a constant reminder that his things were all that was left of him physically. The second night home they finally were exhausted enough to need sleep. Clarke had gone into Abby's room with tear stained cheeks. She crawled under the covers and cuddled into her mother. Having Clarke in the bed made it easier at night. The bed was too big for just one person.

Abby sat down on the bed next to Clarke and ran her fingers through her hair, "Sweetie it's almost noon." Clarke murmured in her sleep and Abby tried to wake her again. Clarke spent most of her nights awake since Jake died and slept a majority of the day. She was never the kind of person who needed a lot of sleep but her grief exhausted her. "You gotta get up and have something to eat."

"Not hungry," Clarke's eyes remained closed.

"I know you're not hungry. But you need to take care of yourself."

"Maybe I'll eat later."

"Come out in a bit, okay?"

"Okay."

Abby kissed her daughter on the head before making her way back out into the house. Leading up to Jake's funeral everything was beyond busy and she almost forgot that she was heart broken. Her week had flown by as people did whatever they could to help her and Clarke. It wasn't till the day after that Abby really felt the change in her life. She had spent the last twenty years by Jake's side and now it was just her and Clarke. It seemed wrong, that Jake would never see their daughter graduate college or bring home a boy.

She smiled to herself at the thought of Clarke bringing home a boy. Her daughter didn't date much in high school and Jake was grateful for it. He never wanted to deal with young boys who only had one thing on their mind, as far as he was concerned. Jake had told Clarke from a young age that she wasn't allowed to date until she was thirty and when she was young she agreed. But now she was older and there would be boys. Abby would meet boys that Clarke brought home and there would be no Jake to approve of them. Jake always believed that no one was good enough for Clarke, but one night while they were sitting on the couch drinking wine he acknowledged that it would only be a matter of time before Clarke had a boyfriend. Abby had laughed and told him it would probably be sooner rather than later. She could vividly remember as he shook his head and took a drink of wine before saying, "It'd make my life a lot easier if Clarke would just date Bellamy. I'd never have to worry about her." Abby had burst out laughing at the suggestion and Jake had shoved her as he smirked at her. She reminded her husband of the fact that their daughter hated that boy for years. "Hated. She doesn't anymore. Don't be surprised Abby, cause I won't be if one day she's hanging out with him," Jake had pointed his finger at her.

Abby grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured herself a cup of coffee. She was living off of the brown liquid lately. A sigh escaped from her lips before she took a sip. Life was beginning to move on and she knew she'd have to go back to work. Soon she would have to figure out how to live without Jake and so would Clarke. Clarke was getting the short end of the stick. She was supposed to have her dad for longer. He was going to watch her grow up and start a career. Jake was supposed to be there for her wedding and their grandkids.

Clarke sat up from the bed and rubbed her eyes. No matter how much she slept she was always tired. She had remained strong for her mom with planning the funeral and with being at the funeral. The most she had cried was when she was at the hospital. After that the tears were less frequent and it was only ever a few that she had to wipe away.

The funeral had been the hardest day so far. It finalized everything. Seeing the casket made everything real. Her father's body was in it and would remain in it. People that she had never met came to the funeral and they offered their condolences. Clarke had kept it together as her family members hugged her and told her they were sorry for her loss. She kept the tears that welled in her eyes from spilling over. It wasn't until Octavia pulled her into a hug that she finally let herself cry. Octavia had pulled Clarke away from the crowd figuring that her friend needed a chance to breath. Clarke knew that Octavia wouldn't tell anyone about her breakdown. She clutched her friend and her shoulders shook with sobs. Eventually she had no more tears to even cry, her body ran dry.

She'd never get to go see a movie with him again or spend a putting a new radiator in the Chevelle. She would only have her mom from now on and the realization hurt. Her mom would no longer spend her nights off with her dad. Clarke would never come home from a night out with her friends to find her parents cuddled up on the couch and watching a movie together. Her mom would fall asleep on her dad's shoulder and almost always he would pick her up and take her to bed. After she was all taken care of her dad would come back to the living room to spend a half an hour or so with Clarke. Clarke wasn't sure how to move on with life knowing that her dad was gone, but somehow Octavia managed to live her life without her mother and after moving in with someone she knew very little of.

* * *

Octavia walked into Bellamy's room. He was sitting on his bed with his back up against the wall. She went into the room and sat next to him. Bellamy was going to be leaving in just a couple of days and the last few weeks all had blurred into one another. They were supposed to be off and doing as much as they could before he'd be gone, but instead they were worried about Clarke. And Octavia was fighting back emotions and memories that she hadn't dealt with in years.

"Remember when mom died?" Octavia said into the room but without looking at Bellamy.

"Of course."

"I feel it again."

"Feel what," he looked over at her.

"The aching hole that I thought went away. But I guess it didn't go away."

"It won't ever go away O, you've just gotten used to being there."

"Then why does it feel like it's fresh again?"

"You tell me."

Octavia sat next to her big brother and tried to figure out what was going on with her. When their mother died he was the one that told her. He wouldn't let her be in the room when it happened even though she had asked to be there. Bellamy was protecting her from having to actually witness death and she was grateful for it. If he could've protected her from feeling it there is no doubt in her mind that he would've.

When he told her she was numb initially. Then the realization hit her and she had cried. She cried so hard that she had ended up making herself sick. She vomited the small amount of food that had been in her stomach and her brother was the one to clean everything up. He was also the one who had put her in a bed that night and was there when she woke up in the morning.

"Remember the day before Marcus got us?" Octavia looked at her brother and he nodded, "We laid on the floor of your room for what seemed like forever to me. You had a cd on and it was loud enough that I didn't need to think about anything. I just stared at the ceiling and didn't feel anything. It was the first time since mom that I didn't feel like crying. I didn't have mom but I still had you."

"Have. You still have me."

"You're leaving Bell," Octavia frowned.

"So I won't be close by physically. But you still have me. I'll be home whenever I can. And you can always come see me too. Plus you have a phone and so do I."

"I know, it's just not the same as having my brother across the hall."

"You still have Marcus at home."

"I know I do. But he isn't my brother. He's like my dad."

"Your dad?" Bellamy raised his eyebrows.

"Only one I've ever had," Octavia shrugged.

"Me too."

"You think mom made the right decision sending us here?"

"Yes," he said.

"Me too. I guess I'm just feeling this way cause of everything going on with Clarke. I know what she feels like, sort of. And it's just like this visual reminder of so much crap we've had to deal with."

"Yeah it is."

"It just makes me miss mom more than usual."

"There are always going to be things that make you miss mom more than usual. There are still going to be firsts that she won't be around for. They say the first year is the hardest because it's the first birthday without them and the first holidays. But those aren't the only firsts. Mom missed my first college baseball game and she missed your first day of high school. She'll miss all of our firsts for the rest of our lives."

"And Jake will miss Clarke's."

"He will. But we don't have it as bad as other kids do. We have a home that's ours. We have people that care about us. Mom made sure we'd have everything we'd need before she died. She found a way to make sure we'd always be taken care of. And Abby will take care of Clarke."

"Yeah," Octavia grinned.

Octavia nudged her brother before getting off of the bed. He nodded at her before she left the room. The two could understand each other without even needing to communicate. That was something she was going to miss about him being gone. There wouldn't be anyone who understood her as well as he did. Not even Clarke could understand everything her and Bellamy had been through together.

* * *

 **I love writing Bellamy and Octavia, it's seriously so easy. Probably cause I've got an older brother who's a real life Bellamy. Do any of you have siblings? There are so many of you reading this and I wanna get to know you all :)**


	9. CH 9

Octavia checked her makeup one last time before she started rummaging through her closet. Clarke would be over any minute. Marcus agreed to let the kids have a going away party for Bellamy as long as everyone that came over spent the night. He wasn't going to risk anyone leaving his house while intoxicated.

"Hello," Clarke said into the house as she stepped in the front door.

"She's upstairs," Marcus said from the kitchen.

"Thanks," she said and started to run up the stairs.

"Not so fast Griffin. Come give me your keys. You can have them back in the morning."

"I'm not drinking," she stood in the middle of the stairs.

"And I'm not stupid."

"Okay," Clarke huffed and went back down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen and Marcus held out his hand. She dropped her keys into his hand.

"Thank you. Now go tell your friend to hurry up. If she wants anything done in this place before her brother gets home she's gotta start moving."

"Will do," Clarke smiled.

Octavia could hear the pounding of someone running up the stairs. Clarke came into her room and flopped onto the bed. She watched as Octavia put on three separate pairs of jeans before settling on a dark wash that were tight fitting and torn up. Octavia put on a white off the shoulder peasant top and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Who're you trying to impress?" Clarke raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Myself," Octavia grinned.

"I feel under dressed now."

Octavia looked her friend over. Clarke had on light wash jean shorts a fitted lacey black crop top and a plaid shirt left unbuttoned. Octavia shook her head; Clarke could throw anything on and look good.

"What?" Clarke asked checking her clothes.

"You throw whatever you want on and you end up looking like that," Octavia gestured towards her friend.

"Says the brunette bombshell standing in front of me," Clarke rolled her eyes.

"Octavia, I'm leaving," Marcus yelled from the front door.

"Okay! We'll see you later tonight!"

"Have fun and be safe!"

The girls heard the front door shut and Octavia did one more mirror check before they left her room. They went to the kitchen and started taking some food out of the fridge that they had bought yesterday. Octavia went into the living room and put music on. Clarke checked that there was a cooler in the back yard for the drinks that people brought. Someone knocked on the door and Octavia went to answer it.

"Hey," Raven grinned when the door opened.

"Hi," Octavia hugged her friend and looked over the balloons in her hand. Raven had at least twenty baseball balloons floating above her head. "Those are perfect."

"I thought so. They were at the dollar tree, so I had to buy them."

Raven followed Octavia into the house with the balloons trailing behind them. Clarke hugged her friend and Raven made sure to hug her for a few extra seconds. No one mentioned her dad but they were taking extra time with her to silently let her know they were there for her. The girls each took balloons and started tying them to different things in the house.

"Party has arrived," Murphy yelled as he let himself into the house, "Nice decorating."

"Stop being sarcastic," Emori swatted him, "They're cute."

"Cute. Just what Bellamy likes."

"Shut up John," Octavia said before greeting Emori.

"I still don't know how you put up with him," Clarke feigned disgust.

"He can be nice sometimes," Emori pulled him to her and kissed his cheek.

"You can put the beer outside in the cooler. We already put some ice in it," Clarke pointed to the back door.

"Keys first," Octavia said sticking her hand out.

"Yup," Murphy dropped them in her hand on his way to the backyard.

People slowly started coming to the house and Miller brought wood for the fire pit in the backyard. Most likely people were going to end up using it sometime during the night. Monty came into the house with Jasper, both boys had a few boxes of pizza. Within the hour the house was full of people the only person missing was Bellamy.

Bellamy pulled into the driveway and took note of the cars parked down the street. Marcus' truck was missing from the driveway but Octavia's car and Clarke's were parked next to each other. He went into his soon to be old home and grinned when he heard numerous familiar voices coming from the kitchen. Octavia was standing in the door way talking to Raven and Clarke who were both sitting on the kitchen counter.

"About time our favorite player on the Chihuahua's gets here," Octavia hugged her brother.

"I actually don't know who else is on the team. So I can't really decide who my favorite player is yet," Clarke smirked.

"You seem to be more fond of pitchers than short stop players. Most likely Lincoln will end up being your favorite player," Bellamy went over to the pizza boxes behind Raven and Clarke.

"Lincoln," she said, "Yeah he definitely sounds like he's my favorite. Way better name."

"Ass," Bellamy shook his head before taking a bite of his pizza.

"You ready to leave all this behind?" Murphy asked and he motioned to the group of people in the kitchen.

"Not yet," Bellamy answered as he grabbed a beer from Jasper.

"Just means you gotta go pro faster so you'll be closer to home," Octavia chimed in.

"Because going pro is so simple."

"You're on a farm team now, just show them you got what it takes. If you don't come home in a reasonable amount of time I might have to give your bed to Clarke."

"I'll just have a room at home and one here," Clarke smirked.

The group stayed in the kitchen for a couple hours as they reminisced on the last years. Bellamy was the first one of them to be leaving. Everyone had picked colleges close to home, no one was eager to leave their oasis in Long Beach. They were close to the beach, close to the desert and close to the mountains. There was nightlife for when they wanted to go out but also numerous places to go hiking and take things easy.

Octavia looked over at her brother as she thought about the fact that for the first time in her life she was going to be without him. He would move mountains and cross oceans for her. But for the first time in his life he was going to go and do something for himself. She was proud of him but she also wasn't ready for him to be gone. At least she'd still have Clarke and everyone else.

"I'm gonna go start a fire," Miller stated before walking outside.

People began making their way outside and grabbing chairs to sit around the crackling fire. It was quiet in the yard and the fire lit their faces while the underwater lights in the pool kept the water glowing. Clarke came outside last and realized there were no chairs left so she went and stood by Murphy. He kept his hands resting on Emori's shoulders while she sat in the chair in front of him.

"You guys should've seen it," Miller laughed, "We teach them how to dive and slide one night."

"And most kids take it slow the first few times," Bellamy added, "But not Clarke."

"So Murphy and Bellamy stand on first and second base and we tell the girls the goal is to get on second. We play pickle with them and a few stay safe going back to first. But Clarke. Being her normal Clarke self, has to get to second base."

"Had to prove that I wasn't afraid to use my new skill set," Clarke shrugged her shoulders.

"Well Clarke," Miller continues, "She sees Bellamy throw the ball back to Murphy and she spins around as fast as she can and she charges at him. Like a bull. She ignores what Murphy is doing behind her and she goes for the base. Ten year old, little, Clarke takes him down." The group laughed at the image, Clarke smaller then she currently is knocking Bellamy down.

"He hit the dirt so hard. Feet just completely knocked out from under him," Murphy snickered.

"And he just laid there. Looking up at the sky," Miller chuckled.

"Probably wondering why the hell he decided it was a good idea to coach a bunch of girls how to play softball," Clarke smirked.

"In my defense I had numerous broken ribs at the time and she runs me down. Doesn't even care that I'm hurt. I still had my ribs wrapped at that point," Bellamy took a of his beer.

"Excuses, right Clarke?" Murphy shoved her. He forgot how close he and her were standing to the edge of the pool. The shove threw Clarke off balance and she swung her arms trying to regain her balance but it was no use. She let out a yelp as she fell back into the pool.

"Murphy!" She screamed as she popped up from the ice-cold water. The group laughed at the scene. Murphy clearly felt bad about the accident as he looked over at his friends.

"John!" Emori turned in her chair to face him. "You're the worst," she giggled before getting a devilish glint in her eyes.

"What?"

Emori pushed him back into the pool and he fell into it with a loud splash. He came up out of the water. Clarke looked over at him while she treaded water. Her eyes widened as she remembered that her phone was in her pocket.

"I hate you," she glared at Murphy as she slid the phone out of her pocket and tossed it onto the cement.

"I didn't mean to," he laughed.

"Drown him!" Raven lifted her beer in the air while she smirked.

"His life in payment for your phone," Octavia nodded.

Clarke turned to Murphy and squinted her eyes at him. He started to swim to the edge as fast as he could. Clarke grabbed his shoulders and pushed him under the water. She let him up for a quick breath before forcing him under the water again. He made it to the edge while she repeatedly had him under the water. Murphy pulled himself up out of the water and sat up on the edge.

"Who knew you were such a murderer," he kicked water at her.

"Not murderer. Attempted murderer," she smirked at him from the water.

"It's warmer in that water then it is out here," he rubbed his arms.

"It's an ice bath in here," Clarke's teeth started to chatter as she grabbed onto the edge next to him.

"I'll get you some dry clothes, Princess," Bellamy got up from his seat.

Clarke nodded and lifted herself from the pool. Her wet clothes clung to her while her hair stuck to her face. She followed Bellamy into the house and up the stairs.

"Always her knight in shining armor," Raven said loud enough for Octavia to hear.

"Been that way for as long as I can remember," Octavia sipped her drink.

"There is a pair of your jeans in my car," Emori looked over at her boyfriend.

"And a dry shirt?" He asked.

"There is a sweatshirt of yours in the trunk. But you can only have it if you give it back to me."

"It's my sweatshirt."

"Not anymore," she grinned.

"Rules of having a girlfriend," Monty stated. "What's yours is theirs and what's theirs is theirs."

"Wait, did you say his jeans are in your car?" Octavia raised an eyebrow. Emori's cheeks turned a bright pink color.

"She definitely did!" Raven laughed.

"And why are his jeans in your car?" Octavia pursed her lips together devilishly. Emori covered her face with her hands.

"Wouldn't you like to know," John took his wet shirt off and chucked it at Octavia, hitting her in the face.

"Ass," Octavia laughed.

By the time it hit midnight most of the kids were slurring their words and giggling uncontrollably. Clarke didn't have anything to drink and Octavia was tripping over her own feet. She knew that someone would have to play mother to the drunks and she never minded playing mom and putting them all to bed. It was always relieving to her once they all were sleeping throughout the house. Tonight it was going to be difficult to get them in bed though, they wanted to keep the night going for as long as possible. There was no knowing when the next time they'd all be together would be.

"I walked in on Raven peeing," Murphy ran out of the house and held his sides as he cackled.

"What?" Monty spit out his beer.

"She forgot to lock the bathroom door!"

"You are such child," Raven glared as she entered the backyard, "It's not like you saw anything."

"I saw you peeing!"

"Whatever," Raven rolled her eyes and found a seat.

"I'm gonna grab another beer. Anyone need anything?" Bellamy got up from his chair.

"I'll take one," Octavia answered.

"Anyone else?"

No one else answered him, they were stuck in conversations and most were holding half full drinks. It wouldn't be long before they would start finding spots to fall asleep. Bellamy shook his head as he entered the house. He started sobering up when everyone else started having trouble walking through the house.

"Jasper," Clarke called and entered the kitchen. He had gone into the house almost thirty minutes prior to make a phone call, so he said. When he didn't come out soon after Clarke started worrying he was getting into trouble in the house. "Bell, have you seen Jasper?"

"No," he shook his head and grabbed a beer from the fridge.

"I've checked the bathroom, all the bedrooms, even the front yard. I have no idea where he went."

"Did he leave?"

"He couldn't. He doesn't have his car keys."

"Let's just check the house one more time."

"Go outside and have fun," Clarke grabbed his shoulders and spun him around so he was facing the back door.

"They're all way past the level I want to be at. I'll help you find Jasper," Bellamy turned around.

"Are you sober Bellamy Blake?"

"I may be."

"We throw you a going away party and you don't even party. Everyone else is partying harder then you are."

"If everyone is blackout drunk there is no way this house will still be standing in the morning."

"That's why I'm here. I'm the house mother tonight," Clarke curtseyed.

"You versus everyone while they're wasted. I'm not sure you stand much of a chance Princess."

"I've put all of their drunk asses to bed before. Who's to say I couldn't handle it tonight. If I recall I've even put your butt to bed before. And I was nice enough to leave a trashcan next to your bed so you wouldn't throw up on your floor," Clarke made her way up the stairs.

"In my defense you only turn twenty-one once. Everyone throws up on their twenty-first birthday and everyone has a horrible hangover the next day," he followed her up the stairs.

"When I turn twenty-one I'm not going to throw up. I'll probably be hung over but I will not throw up," she looked into Octavia's room, but Jasper wasn't there.

"I will make sure you throw up."

"You won't be there to make sure I do," Clarke turned and gave Bellamy a sad smile, "I'll turn twenty-one during your baseball season. You'll be off playing some major league game by then."

"I'm not going to miss the first opportunity to buy you a drink at an actual bar. Octavia too. I'll be at the bar buying you guys shots and waiting to hold your hair while you puke," he grinned.

"Don't make promises you can't keep Blake."

Bellamy stared at Clarke for a moment. He had always planned to be there for the girls' birthdays. He'd never missed one of Octavia's and since knowing Clarke he'd never missed one of hers either. He didn't want to admit it to her, but she was probably right. He wouldn't be around for their milestones anymore; he'd be off in another state. And even if things did go his way and he got on the Padres he'd still be two hours away from them. He'd have to devote more time than ever to baseball.

A hallway door opening broke the twos stare and caused Clarke to visibly jump. Jasper poked his head out of a closet containing a few jackets and pairs of shoes. "It's kinda hot in here," he said as he looked between Clarke and Bellamy. Then he shut the door again.

"Jasper," Clarke snorted.

"Did you just snort?" Bellamy laughed.

"Jasper just popped out of a hallway closet and proceeded to shut the door and stay in the closet," she giggled.

"Why the hell is he in a closet?"

"Who even knows."

"Jasper, come out," Bellamy knocked on the door.

"I'm fine in here," Jasper's voice came through the wood.

"I'm sure you are," Bellamy chuckled.

"I think it's bed time for him," Clarke said.

Bellamy got Jasper out of the closet and back down the stairs. Clarke found a pillow and a blanket and laid them on the couch. Jasper struggled to take off his shoes. He finally shrugged and fell onto the couch. His eyes closed immediately and he was snoring almost instantly.

"Well that was easier than expected," Clarke grinned.

"If only it was that easy with all of them," Bellamy shook his head.

Clarke went to work getting the girls all to bed while Bellamy tried to get the guys to sleep. Monty had let himself back in the house and fell asleep in a chair in the living room. Clarke practically carried Emori up the stairs and got her into Octavia's bed. Bellamy followed behind with Murphy and Miller. He tossed different pillows and blankets on the floor of Octavia's room knowing they would grab what they wanted throughout the night. Clarke brought Raven up the stairs next and got her situated in the bed next to Emori.

"Just O left," Bellamy said as the two headed back down the stairs.

"I don't think there is enough space in her room for her," Clarke said.

"We can put her in my bed and you can sleep with her."

"And where are you going to sleep?"

"I'll sleep on the floor."

"I'm not going to kick you out of your own bed before you leave us. You don't have many nights left in that bed."

"I don't mind the floor," Bellamy said as he stepped outside. Octavia was fast asleep in her chair. Bellamy picked her up easily and made his way back into the house. Clarke followed behind. Bellamy grabbed a sweatshirt out of his drawer and Clarke helped him put it on Octavia. She was already in a pair of leggings that she'd changed into earlier in the night, so she'd sleep comfortably if left in them. The two got Octavia into Bellamy's bed and Clarke realized she had forgotten to bring clothes to sleep in and Octavia's room was now full of drunk sleeping people.

"I can't go grab clothes from her room," Clarke sighed.

"Just use some of mine," Bellamy grabbed a long sleeve shirt from his closet, "And you don't need to worry about sleeping in your shorts cause your tiny enough that my shirt is going to be a dress on you anyways."

"Shut up," Clarke grabbed the shirt form his hand and went to the bathroom to change. Bellamy's shirt was long enough for Clarke to feel comfortable in it and she went back out into the hallway. Bellamy walked out of Marcus' room with a pillow and a blanket.

"I'll take those," Clarke put her hands out.

"You're not sleeping on the floor," he shook his head.

"I'm not taking your bed from you."

"Either we both sleep on the floor or you take the bed with O."

"You're infuriating," she glared.

"So I've been told," he smirked.

He went into his room and put the pillow and blanket on the floor. Clarke sat on the edge of the bed and ran her fingers through her hair to take out any knots. She quickly braided it and then heard her stomach growl.

"Hungry?" Bellamy asked from his spot on the ground.

"Apparently. Is there any pizza left?"

"I think Octavia put some in the fridge."

"I'm going to go eat pizza then, Blake." Clarke got off the bed and walked out of the room. Bellamy got up and followed her down the stairs. He didn't mind looking at her in his clothes, she was cute. Clarke turned around to glance at him, "Stop staring," she smirked.

"Wasn't staring," he put his hands up defensively.

She opened the fridge and pulled out a pizza box. Clarke hopped up onto the counter next to the food and grabbed a slice for herself. Something about cold pizza always put her in a good mood. Bellamy took a piece for himself and leaned against the counter next to Clarke. The two ate in silence; they had always been comfortable around each other enough to not need to talk about anything.

"You know this is probably the last time you're going to be eating cold pizza with me for a while," Clarke looked over at her friend.

"I'm coming back home during off season."

"You say that now. You're going to start a new chapter of your life. Playing for a team that's farming you for the majors. Living in a totally different state. You're going to be making new friends. Meeting new girls. Finding new places to hang out. You won't be stuck here with me and Octavia always being around."

"Yeah I'm going to be at a new place and meeting new people but I'm not going to just get new friends and leave you all here."

"Bell, not everyone has a couple of teenagers following them around. For the first time in your life you're going to be able to have friends without sharing them with Octavia. You won't have Clarke and Octavia tagging along like little kids."

"You guys were never tagging around. You were always more than welcome to be around everyone," Bellamy smiled at her.

"I'm just saying you're going to able to just be Bellamy Blake not Bellamy Blake with his sister Octavia and her friend Clarke."

Bellamy processed Clarke's words and realized she was right. He and Octavia were always a packaged deal. His friends were aware of it and they never had a problem including Octavia in everything they did. Then Octavia and Clarke became a packaged deal and everyone accepted that in order to be apart of Bellamy's friend group you had to be friends with Clarke and Octavia.

It was easy to forget that the girls were so much younger than the boys. When you're a teenager age seems to be such a big part of your friendships and relationships, but Bellamy never had a problem including the girls. They had matured early on in life and fit in well with the friends he surrounded himself with. As the years went by his friends became their friends and their friends became his.

Clarke wasn't sure why her feelings for Bellamy were surfacing right now, but she was trying her hardest to keep them quiet. She had felt a pull to him since she was younger but she was a little girl he met through coaching softball. Having a crush on Bellamy was exhausting because she knew it would never go anywhere because he was older and her best friend's brother.

"Clarke," Bellamy moved from being next to her to being in front of her.

"Yeah."

"If I didn't like being around you and Octavia I wouldn't have included you in everything for all these years. I don't see you as these little kids I need to babysit. I see you guys as smart, funny, strong and independent girls. You two have really grown into yourselves. I don't see you as little kids and none of the guys do either."

"You sure?" Clarke's eyes searched his. She was getting antsy being so close to him.

"I'm sure. You're one of the best friends I've got and I'm pretty sure you are Octavia's best friend."

"Did you just call me your best friend Bell?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

"No, I did not," he glared at her.

"I think you did. Annoying little me is your best friend. Look at me. Best friend of both Blakes," she smirked.

"Shut up Princess." Bellamy shook his head, "I'm going upstairs and getting some sleep before one of your friends wakes up from their drunken slumber."

"Right behind you bestie," Clarke grinned and hopped off of the kitchen counter. She put the pizza box back into the fridge.

The front door opened, as the two were about to go back up the stairs. Marcus walked into the house and was shocked to see the two awake.

"I thought for sure you'd all be passed out by the time I got back," he said putting his keys down.

"You only thought that because you're coming home so late," Bellamy said like a father scolding his son.

"You're not the only one who likes to go hang out."

"Hang out. Is that what the kids are calling partying these days?"

"Yes," Marcus chuckled.

"Heads up, if you walk in the living room Jasper and Monty are sleeping in there," Clarke smiled at Marcus.

"Will do. You know I'm going to miss having all of you party animals passed out all over my home."

"Don't worry, we'll still pass out here after Bell leaves," Clarke shoved Bellamy.

"Oh perfect," Marcus grinned, "I was worried for a second."

* * *

At seven in the morning the door to Bellamy's room cracked open and Jasper poked his head in. Clarke and Octavia were both sleeping in Bellamy's bed while Bellamy was on the floor.

"Psst," Jasper said into the room but none of them even stirred. "PSSST."

"Hmm," Octavia rolled over.

"Octavia," Jasper said quietly, "Wake up Octavia."

She blinked her eyes open and began to rub the sleep from them. Clarke turned her head toward the noise and squinted trying to focus. Bellamy kept his eyes closed but could hear people beginning to wake up.

"Octavia," Jasper said again and she opened her eyes. He held a bottle of champagne into the room and smirked.

"Uh uh," she groaned as she started to feel how hung over she was.

"Come on."

"Nope," she closed her eyes again.

"Wuss puss."

"I ain't afraid," she sat up in the bed and threw off the covers. Octavia grabbed the bottle from Jasper and left him standing in the doorway. He laughed as he followed her into the hallway.

"She's not afraid," Clarke said as she yawned.

"You afraid Princess?" Bellamy's eyes were still shut.

"Not afraid," Clarke sat up and put her feet over the edge of the bed. She got up and kicked Bellamy lightly. "You scared?"

"Not scared of some morning alcohol. Just pissed that stupid Jasper is awake this early and already drinking."

"Up and at 'em Blake," Clarke kicked him again and then left the room.

Everyone was slowly coming into the kitchen. Jasper would give them a mimosa almost immediately. Marcus was the last to make his way down the stairs. He could smell coffee brewing and smell bacon being cooked. When he came into the kitchen he saw the kids everywhere. Each of them had a red cup in their hand.

"Alcohol right when you wake up, glad to know I'm being successful at this parenting thing," Marcus shook his head.

"No one left last night. I'd say that's a win," Monty shrugged.

"I'll take that win," Marcus was handed a red cup with champagne and orange juice in it.

Clarke and Octavia finished cooking breakfast and put everything down on the table. The group found spots at the table and on the counter top. Each filled their plates with food since almost all of them had the dreaded alcohol stomach from the night before.

Bellamy looked around the room as he sipped on his drink. He was leaving all of this behind for a shot to go pro. There would be no Miller or Murphy in Texas to get into trouble with. No Raven or Emori to put him in his place with their wittiness. Monty and Jasper wouldn't be crashed in his living room a couple of times a month. Marcus wouldn't be just down the hallway. Octavia wouldn't be there looking after him and he wouldn't be able to take care of her anymore.

He knew that Clarke and Marcus would take care of her just like he did, but it was a hard pill to swallow. For the first time in his life someone else would be looking after his sister. Octavia would be states away from him, but she'd have Clarke. Bellamy looked over at Clarke as she laughed at something Octavia said. She was slowly figuring out how to live her life without her dad and she was becoming more of a woman and less of a girl as the days went by. By the time he came back home Octavia and Clarke would be adults. They were going to grow up without him around.

For the first time in his life he was being selfish and doing something for himself. He wanted to play for the Chihuahuas and he wanted to make it to the major leagues. There was a chance he could get pulled up to the Padres. His childhood of playing baseball had a chance of becoming a career. But he'd be lying if he didn't acknowledge at least to himself that he was going to miss this life. And he was going to miss these people.

* * *

 **Part 2 is up next! It'll be a time jump, hope you guys like it :)**

 ** _Josie – So sorry to hear about your dad. I'm not in the same boat as you but I'm on the same ocean. My mom died when I was a kid and my older brothers really stepped up to take care of my little brother and I. Unfortunately nothing I write to you will make things better, but know there are a lot of people that can help you navigate your feelings. And your siblings are do understand what you're going through._**

 ** _Heidi1245401 – 6! That's crazy. I thought it was a lot being one of four. I couldn't imagine there being another two people in my family._**

 ** _Stella – So glad that you're loving the story. I wanted a little sister but ended up with another brother haha._**

 ** _Ashmo2000 – I hear ya on that. Mine are definitely pains, well the oldest and the youngest are. The one above me is my bff._**


	10. Part 2 CH 1

**_5 YEARS LATER_**

Lincoln led the way down the aisle of the plane with Bellamy following behind. The two were on their way to Los Angeles from Texas. They had gone back to Texas to spend a couple of days with their old teammates.

"Are you sure they're not going to mind that I came along with you?" Lincoln asked his friend as they put their bags in the carryon compartment.

"Positive. We're on offseason and as far as they're concerned I'm not headed back home for another couple of weeks. They'll be happy I'm there and they've never been upset to have another person hanging out," Bellamy grinned.

The two sat down in their seats and waited for the plane to takeoff. Bellamy was excited to surprise Marcus and Abby for their anniversary. They two had eloped last year after talking to him, Octavia and Clarke. All three had been more than happy with the idea. Abby said she had already done the whole wedding thing once in her life and she wanted to just make things official. She had no desire to have a big celebration and she also knew Clarke was more comfortable not having to attend a wedding.

When Octavia had called her brother to tell him she thought Marcus was developing feelings for Abby Bellamy thought she was overthinking things. Marcus had been one of Jake's best friends and it made Bellamy uneasy to think that Marcus liked Abby. He had immediately called Clarke and asked her what she thought. Clarke informed Bellamy that her mother was clearly swooning over Marcus. Bellamy had asked Clarke what she thought about the situation and he swore he could hear her smiling through the phone, "For the first time since my dad died I can see her being happy. He makes her laugh and I realized that I had forgotten what that noise sounded like," Clarke said.

At Bellamy's first game as a Padre Octavia and Marcus were in the stands. They watched him play his first major league game and after they went to dinner with him. Marcus talked about Abby and Bellamy understood what his sister had said. He could see the way Marcus' eyes lit up when he talked about her. Even though the three kids had noticed the chemistry between their parents the adults kept each other at an arm's distance.

Octavia had taken it upon herself to get the two on a date. Her and Clarke parent trapped the two and when they came back home the girls bombarded them with questions. Clarke wasn't going to let her mom miss out on being in love again and Octavia wanted Marcus to be with someone who loved him. It didn't take much convincing from the girls to get the two to start dating exclusively.

was going to be their first wedding anniversary and Octavia had suggested they do something for it. Bellamy had convinced her that he was doing some endorsement things and wouldn't be able to make it. He promised her he'd send them a gift though. She was content with that answer.

After moving to Texas he rarely came home even though he had planned on being home often. Being in the minor leagues didn't pay as well as he anticipated it would and he had to work during the offseason. He had worked in the oil field making a decent hourly rate, enough to pay the bills and save a bit. Marcus and Octavia had gone to a few of his games and Clarke had even tagged along to one of them. Once in a while he would face time with his family.

The last year had been a whirlwind though. He had been signed to the Padres with Lincoln. Lincoln and him packed their bags and moved to San Diego. They spent all of their free time training and the rest of their time was spent playing baseball. There was no time to see his family even though they lived a couple of hours away. They had come to a few of his home games and that was much as he saw them. He was eager to be with them for more than a few hours.

Octavia had finished up school with a degree in business management and Clarke was still attending medical school. She was taking after her mother and excelling in the courses. Bellamy talked to the girls often, the three of them in a group chat so they could keep up with each other's lives. It was hard to keep up with everyone's lives but Bellamy tried his best to do so. He had numerous group chats on his phone so he could still know what was happening with everyone.

His friends were working jobs and making lives for themselves. Some were dating girls he had never met and others like Murphy were still with the same girl. Bellamy was eager to see Murphy and Emori. He hadn't spent time with them since before Emori had their baby. Everyone had been shocked when Emori announced her pregnancy but Murphy had apparently taken to the role of father easily. Octavia and Clarke would often gush about how cute Cooper was and how he was starting to talk more. The smallest Murphy was supposedly just like his father, and Bellamy couldn't understand how it was possible for a one year old to have as much of a bad attitude as John.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" Lincoln looked at Bellamy.

"It is Halloween, so I figured we should go out tonight. There is a country bar near Marcus and Abby's house."

"A country bar," Lincoln nodded.

"Figured we should stick to what we know," Bellamy smirked.

"And what are we going to wear to the country bar? Are people going to be dressed up?"

"Most likely there will be people dressed up," Bellamy shrugged.

"Should we go in our uniforms?"

"Great idea," Bellamy chuckled, "We'll be able to keep to ourselves walking around in our Padres jerseys."

"Figured it'd get us some free drinks," Lincoln smirked.

"It might. But I'm just going in normal clothes. Maybe I'll put on some boots."

"How festive."

"I'm not going to make myself stick out in a bar. I want to go to the bar and hang out. Have a few drinks them make our way back to the house. If Abby and Marcus are sleeping they'll just wake up and I'll be there."

"You think Octavia is going to be mad that you didn't tell her you were coming home," Lincoln asked. He had never met the younger Blake but he had heard stories about her.

"She'll get over it if she does get mad."

* * *

Clarke curled her long blonde hair as Octavia sat in front of the mirror touching up her makeup. The two had decided last minute to not let the night go to waste. They would scrounge up some costumes and head out. Octavia began digging through her closet to find something for each of them to wear. She began tossing out different dresses and pieces of clothing that could make a costume. Clarke went through the pile and grabbed the blue Padres jersey with the name Blake written across the back.

"I'm going to go as Bellamy," she laughed.

"Then you need to put a hat on that hair," Octavia grinned and threw one at her, "Wear it backwards."

"Oh yes, you're brother is forever turning his hat around."

Clarke went to the mirror and put the hat on backwards. Octavia threw some eyeblack at her and she put a mark under each eye. She fixed the front pieces of her hair and put the jersey on. It was just long enough to cover the pair of shorts she had on. She went over to the closet and grabbed a pair of black cowboy boots.

"Boots?" Octavia raised an eyebrow.

"We're still going to a country bar," Clarke winked.

"I'll wear boots too."

Octavia grabbed a pair of jean shorts and a jean button-up shirt as well. She knew there was a red bandana somewhere in her closet. After digging it out she put on the shorts and shirt. She left her hair down and put the bandana on like a headband.

"Rosie the Riveter. I like it," Clarke grinned. "Here's your boots," Clarke handed the shoes to Octavia.

"Thank you ma'am."

"No problem."

Clarke went to Octavia's bed and began putting the extra clothing away. Octavia's room had been rearranged when Abby and Marcus got married. The couple decided that they would live in Marcus' house because it was bigger and would fit all of them comfortably. Octavia's room was the perfect size for the two girls to share. Neither of them had felt comfortable taking Bellamy's room. If they had moved and someone took their room they weren't sure how'd they feel about it, so his room was left alone. That way he'd always have a spot when he was at home.

The girls went down the stairs, their boots clicking with each step they took. Marcus and Abby were sitting on the couch watching TV together and listening for the doorbell to ring. The neighborhood was filled with little kids in costumes and Abby was glad she bought the extra bag of candy.

"Where are you two off to?" Abby looked the girls over.

"To go dancing," Octavia smiled.

"And drinking, I'm sure," Marcus smirked.

"You saying we can't dance sober," Clarke crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's exactly what he's saying," Abby giggled.

"You know I'm not that bad at following along. I just need a guy who can lead."

"Sure," Marcus grinned, "You better have shorts under that thing."

"I do," Clarke lifted up her shirt.

"So here we have a Rosie the Riveter and a baseball player?" Abby asked the girls.

"Rosie the Riveter, yes," Octavia said, "Baseball player, no."

"If she isn't a baseball player what is she?" Abby cocked her head to the right.

Marcus looked Clarke over. She had a blue Padres jersey on and a Padres hat on that she was wearing backwards. Under her eyes was eye black. He burst out into laughter and Clarke gave him a devilish grin.

"What?" Abby asked as Marcus continued to laugh.

"She's Bellamy," he gestured towards Clarke.

"Oh my gosh," Abby chuckled.

"I think she looks just like him," Octavia smirked.

"She's almost got it down," Abby grinned, "I think he has more freckles than you do."

"I can always add some," she smirked. Clarke's phone vibrated and she pulled it out of her shorts pocket. "But it appears I don't have time to do that. Our Uber is here."

"We will see you guys either late tonight depending on how long you crazy kids stay up or we'll see you in the morning," Octavia smiled.

"Have fun," Abby said and the girls nodded.

"And be safe," Marcus added before they walked out the door.

"We will be," Clarke said before shutting the door.

"And just like that they've grown up," Abby sighed.

"Are you feeling nostalgic?" Marcus grinned.

"They grew up too fast."

"They're still kids. They live at home. That alone means they're still kids."

"Well then I hope they live at home a bit longer," she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

* * *

Bellamy walked into the Bar with Lincoln and Lincoln took everything in. People were everywhere, at tables, on dance floors, at the bar, in line to get drinks, some were just standing around. The building was two stories with a bar on each floor. Upstairs were three pool tables as well as more tables and even another dance floor. A country bar of this size was not what Lincoln expected to find in Southern California. A couple of girls walked by the men and Lincoln looked them over.

"Cuties everywhere here," Lincoln nudged his friend.

"Why do you think we came here?" Bellamy smirked.

The men made their way upstairs to the bar to get a couple of drinks and start a tab. Upstairs the bar was slower and they didn't have to worry about waiting in line. Bellamy handed Lincoln his beer and the two found a table near the railing of the balcony. They could look down at the main dance floor from their seats. Everywhere they looked there were people dressed in Halloween costumes, most of them were girls but a few boys had dressed up as well. A brunette walked past Lincoln and to the bar. He watched as she quickly ordered a drink and went back downstairs. From his spot on the balcony he saw her walk over to a table where another girl sat. He smirked when he saw the Padres jersey that the other girl was wearing.

"Seems you have a fan," he said to Bellamy and pointed out the girl in the jersey. Bellamy looked out into the crowd and spotted a jersey with his last name on it. He could tell that the girl wearing it was blonde and her friend was a brunette. They had their backs to the balcony.

Octavia gave the boy in front of her a friendly smile as she politely turned him down. He left the girls and went to find someone else to dance with. Clarke sipped her drink to keep herself from laughing.

"Stop," Octavia swatted at her, "There was no way I was going to dance with him. He looked twelve!"

"He did look twelve," Clarke nodded.

"How is it that you always seem to end up with the attractive guys hitting on you?"

"I don't," Clarke laughed, "I've danced with one person here and he was guaranteed sixty years old."

"At least you've danced!"

"You had a chance to! You just turned the poor kid down."

"Yeah, yeah," Octavia rolled her eyes.

"The next song that comes on I'll dance with you."

"What if it's a two step or the cowboy cha cha?"

"Then I'll be the boy," Clarke smiled.

"Let's hope it's a line dance then," Octavia chuckled.

The band finished their song and before they started the next one they told two steppers to find partner. Clarke stuck her hand out to Octavia and Octavia laughed before taking it and being led through people.

"At least I can get behind this song," Octavia said as she put a hand on Clarke's shoulder.

"Does tequila make your clothes fall off?" Clarke wiggled her eyebrows.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Octavia laughed, "Remember it's two steps forward and one step back."

"I know what a two step is," Clarke huffed as she stepped forward with her left foot and Octavia followed. The girls took another step forward and then one back. "Told you I could two step!"

"Just don't try to get fancy Griffin. The minute you try to spin me I'll end up knocking another couple over."

"That happened one time," Clarke laughed.

Lincoln caught a glimpse of the brunette on the dance floor with her blonde friend. The blonde tried to lead and would miss a step every so often. He grinned and glanced over at Bellamy who was talking to a girl. The girl rested her hand on Bellamy's arm as she talked with him. Lincoln went back to watching the girls and chuckled when the blonde tried to spin her friend. They tripped over each other's feet while they tried to get back into the rhythm of two stepping again.

"And your friend's name?" The girl asked Bellamy.

"Lincoln," he responded. The minute the girl had walked over he had a feeling she was trying to just work up the nerve to talk to Lincoln.

"Is he single?" The girl lowered her voice.

"He's actually not," Bellamy gave her a soft smile. Lincoln was pining over the brunette downstairs and Bellamy knew he wasn't going to give the girl in front of him any of his attention.

"Bummer," she said, "It was nice meeting you."

"You too," he nodded and she turned around to go back to her friends.

"I think I'm going to go save her from her friend," Lincoln turned to Bellamy then looked back down at the dance floor. Bellamy searched down below to find the brunette and her blonde friend again. The brunette laughed at something her friend said and threw her head back.

"No shit," Bellamy jumped up from his seat.

"What?" Lincoln cocked his head to the side.

"That's O," Bellamy had a smile plastered to his face.

"Your sister?" Lincoln's eyes widened.

"Yeah!"

"Maybe I shouldn't try to save her from her friend then," Lincoln took a gulp from his beer.

"No. You should definitely go save her. I'm almost positive that's Clarke. No one else leads as terribly as Clarke does," he chuckled.

"You gave the okay," Lincoln finished his beer.

"Let me just grab a drink real quick."

Lincoln followed Bellamy to the bar and Bellamy ordered a shot of tequila. The men went down the stairs and Bellamy found a table off to the side of the dance floor. He watched as Lincoln went over to the girls and asked if he could cut in. Octavia looked to Clarke and she nodded furiously. He swore he could see Octavia blush as she took Lincoln's hand. Clarke spun around and walked towards Bellamy's direction when she got off of the dance floor. As she stepped past him he said, "Tequila, Princess?"

Clarke paused and looked over to Bellamy. He smirked as he held the shot out to her. Her mouth dropped open and she let out a squeal before tackling him. Bellamy quickly raised his hand up so she wouldn't spill the liquor on both of them.

"Holy shit," Clarke beamed as she pulled away from him to look at him.

"You taking this shot or do I have to wait for O to come over here and drink it?"

"Stop being a smartass for a second," she smiled and hugged him again, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"At this bar or home?"

"Both!"

"I came home to surprise you guys. Figured I couldn't miss Marcus and Abby's first anniversary. And I decided to take Lincoln out for a night before getting stuck at home with you guys."

"Shut up. You love being home with us," Clarke released him from her death grip and took the shot out of his hand. She threw it back easily and handed the glass back to him.

"What have I missed?" His eyes widened when he noticed taking the shot had no effect on her.

"When you sit in class full time learning about diseases and human anatomy sometimes when you get home you need to pound a few shots to relax," she grinned.

"That's just what I want to hear. That you and O are drinking ridiculous amounts of liquor when you've got free time."

"Not everyone can go of and be some big shot like you. Mister baseball star."

Lincoln walked off of the dance floor with Octavia when the song ended. She still held his hand in hers and followed him to a table. Clarke was excitedly talking to Lincoln's friend. When she got close enough to them she realized Clarke wasn't talking to some random guy she was talking to Bellamy. She dropped Lincoln's hand and stared at her brother.

"Bellamy fucking Blake," Octavia stopped in front of him.

"Good to see you too," he grinned, "I see you've met my friend Lincoln."

"You ass, you could've told me you were home," she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a bone-crushing hug.

"If I told you I was home I would've missed out on running into you two here."

"Whatever," she smiled.

"So you're the pitcher," Clarke looked over at Lincoln.

"That's me," he nodded.

"And your name is Lincoln, correct?" Clarke asked and Lincoln nodded again. "Did you know you're actually my favorite player? You have been since you guys were Chihuahuas."

"What?" Lincoln raised an eyebrow.

"Ass," Bellamy shoved Clarke and she gave him a devilish grin, "She told me when I left for Texas that I actually wasn't her favorite player cause she didn't know who else was on the team. She decided you were her favorite player since you're a pitcher."

"Been my favorite player since," Clarke smirked.

"Then why're you wearing a Blake jersey?" Lincoln grinned.

"I'm not just wearing a Blake jersey," Clarke stood next to Bellamy and stood on her tiptoes to put her arm over his shoulders, "We're twins tonight. I'm being Bellamy today."

"She was even gonna add some freckles but the Uber got to the house before she had a chance," Octavia chuckled.

"The freckles would've really pulled the costume together," Lincoln shook his head.

"I know," Clarke hung her head down, "I just ran out of time."

"Get away from me," Bellamy pushed her away from him. "And I wear pants with my jersey," he glared at her.

"I've got shorts," she pulled up the shirt, "Your father wouldn't let me out of the house if I didn't."

"Good. Can't have you two running around like a couple of harlots."

"Shut up," Octavia laughed, "Lincoln. You should buy me a drink."

"What?" Lincoln froze. No girls were ever forward with him, they just followed his lead.

"You heard the girl. Get her a drink," Clarke motioned to the bar. Lincoln looked over at Bellamy for permission and Bellamy shrugged his shoulders while he grinned.

"While he gets her a drink you're going to come dance with me," Bellamy grabbed Clarke's hand. She followed him through the bar and found herself standing in front of him. Her right hand holding his left while her left hand rested on his shoulder. His right hand found its way to her left hip and she could feel the heat radiating off of it.

It was easy for her to get over Bellamy when he wasn't home. He was all over the country being a baseball player. His name was said on ESPN and jerseys had his last name printed on them. Fans of the Padres knew who he was and even some people who weren't fans did. He was good at his craft, more than good. She was at home studying and trying to find time to have a social life. Her fondness for him had subsided after he left for Texas, but having him stand in front of her and so closely to her made her teenage feelings resurface.

Bellamy led her around easily. Clarke was never good at leading when it came to dancing but she could follow. "And I'm going to spin you out then back in," Bellamy looked down at her and she nodded. She spun in front of him then back towards him and he grabbed her other hand again before going back into the steps.

Clarke had grown up since the last time he saw her in person. Her schedule was more hectic than Octavia's and she took classes over the summer. Octavia would drive down to San Diego once in a while to visit him, but Clarke was always busy studying for some paper or test. He'd seen her over face time calls but it had been almost a year since he saw her in person. Her hair was longer and blonder and her skin was almost porcelain, most likely from all of her time spent in classes. He could still picture her at eighteen. Her eyes still hid the pain from recently losing her dad. But the blue eyes he looked into currently had a spark in them. She was a pretty girl when she was a college freshman but the twenty-three-year-old in front of him was stunning.

It was easy to leave her when he was young and starting to follow his dreams. If he could feel the chemistry between them before he left for Texas he may have never left. Her standing so close to him and dancing with such ease with his direction made his heart start to beat faster. Clarke was something else, he always knew it, but seeing her up close under the dim lighting in the bar made him wonder how long he had been missing out on her. He had never said anything to her about his feelings when they were younger so he never knew how she felt about him. But the six years also felt like such a big gap between them. Now the six years felt miniscule.

Clarke spun back into him as the music ended. She smiled up at him, "Thank you, Bell."

"Anytime, Princess."

"Is that what they teach you in Texas?"

"What?"

"How to dance so you can get the girls?"

"I guess," he chuckled.

"Cause the baseball thing. It's really not that attractive. You get off the field and smell like butt," she smirked.

"Shut up," he shook his head and grinned.

Octavia opened the front door of the house and the four quietly stepped inside. The kicked off their boots at the door and headed into the kitchen. Clarke had mentioned that there was pizza in the fridge from last night. She hopped up onto the counter and Octavia followed suit and sat next to her. Their legs dangled from where they sat while Bellamy grabbed the pizza from the fridge and put it on the table. They each grabbed a slice and whispered to each other.

* * *

"Marcus," Abby shook his shoulder. She had heard an explosion of laughter come from downstairs and swore it sounded like there were boys over.

"Hmm," he mumbled with his eyes still shut.

"I think the girls are home."

"Okay."

"I think there are boys with them."

Marcus opened his eyes and tried to hear any male voices. There was whispers coming from downstairs and it seemed to be more than just Clarke and Octavia.

"I'll go see," he kissed Abby before sitting up in bed.

"I'll come with. I swear if they brought boys home," Abby turned to look at the clock, "At two in the morning."

"We'll ground them."

The couple went down the stairs and could see that the kitchen light was on. The whispers were more audible and it was clear that a couple of them were men.

"Octavia, Clarke," Marcus said before he entered the kitchen.

"You guys know you're not supposed to bring boys home," Abby went to turn the corner with Marcus right behind her.

"Even me?" Bellamy asked as the two came into the kitchen.

"Bellamy!" Abby smiled and walked over to give him a hug.

"Surprise," he chucked.

"What are you doing here," Marcus went over to hug him as well.

"Figured I'd surprise you guys for your anniversary."

"Well we're surprised," Abby grinned.

"This is my buddy Lincoln. He came out here for a few days with me before he heads back down to San Diego," Bellamy motioned to his friend.

"Nice to meet you," Marcus shook his hand.

"We've heard lots about you," Abby hugged Lincoln.

"Good things I'm hoping," Lincoln smiled.

"If they're hearing things from Bell it's bound to be about how much you suck and how your pitching blew the game," Octavia smirked as the pulled a piece of pepperoni off Clarke's pizza and popped it into her mouth.

"I told you she's not sweet," Bellamy raised his eyebrows at his friend.

"Octavia," Abby scolded her and laughed, "She's kidding. We've heard all good things about you. And it's a pleasure to have you here for a few days."

"Thanks for letting me be here," Lincoln nodded.

"You two can have Bellamy's room. There is a bed in there and a couch. You can kick Bellamy to the couch," Marcus said.

"I'm feeling very welcome in my own home," Bellamy looked at Marcus.

"As you should," Marcus grinned.

* * *

 **Honest feedback, did the time jump work? Or not at all? Love it or hate it?**


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